West London residents have described the uncertain future of a local Post Office as a "disaster" as the organisation looks to franchise the site.
The Chelsea and Fulham MP Ben Coleman has also raised concerns about the plans for the King’s Road premises, saying there is “genuine incredulity at the threat to the only Post Office left in the street”.
A Post Office spokesperson said there is no plan to close the branch but rather to franchise it to one of its retail partners or an independent postmaster.
But there are concerns about what this might mean for the service and opening hours there.
The Post Office recently announced it is looking to overhaul the way it operates. This includes reviewing options for its wholly-owned branches, with up to 115 sites and hundreds of head office jobs reportedly at risk.
Sky News reported the Post Office’s proposed changes are to help it place its finances on a sustainable long-term footing.
In a release, the Post Office said its five-year Transformation Plan will also strengthen postmasters’ roles in the direction of the organisation and significantly increase their income.
Nigel Railton, Chair of the Post Office, said: “The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and today we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters. We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.”
Two Post Offices in Kensington and Chelsea are included on the list of 115 branches being looked at: High Street Kensington and King’s Road, at the World’s End Estate.
When the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the King’s Road site last week, a steady stream of customers were in and out of the branch despite the biting cold.
Several people said they use that particular Post Office regularly due to the lack of alternative options close by.
One woman, who did not wish to give her name, said she stops by often to do her banking, and described any potential threat to the branch as “terrible”.
Another said it is the only one they use, adding: “It would be such a shame for it to go.”
Conchita Costart, 77, said she visits the World’s End branch to post items and collect Amazon deliveries. Asked how she felt about the uncertainty facing the premises, she said: “Terrible. They are closing them down everywhere.”
“Especially when you get older like I am, everything seems to be against us,” she added.
Ms Costart said in the 15-or-so years she has lived locally she has never used another Post Office.
“It’s like the banks. There used to be two NatWests, and now none,” she said.“It just is, well, ‘where am I going to do that’, and what do you do? You have to do some transactions and some things, and I don’t know what to do or where to go. It’s very, very sad really.”
Marc, who did not want to give his surname, said the potential changes to the branch are indicative of a wider degeneration of high streets across the country.
He said: “All the banks are closing, all the shops seem to be going. I mean just look down the high street here. Literally a third of the shops are now closing.”
On the King’s Road Post Office specifically, he said: “It’s so popular, there’s always a queue there. There wouldn’t be a queue if it was unpopular. I’m an old aged pensioner, I don’t know how to use a computer, and the lady had to show me where my package was.”
Another local, Helen, who also withheld her surname, said she similarly feared for the branch’s future. “I don’t know what I would do,” she said. “I know everything is going.”
The Labour MP for Chelsea and Fulham, Ben Coleman, has been running a petition to “save” the King’s Road Post Office.
He told the LDRS: “Almost one thousand people have already signed my petition to save the King’s Road Post Office and the numbers are soaring by the day. There is genuine incredulity at the threat to the only Post Office left in the street.
“Thousands of residents rely on it, particularly older and disabled people who live nearby. It is a hugely popular and well used branch. It was typically buzzing when I popped in last week, with people queuing at the counter for up to ten minutes. Customers and staff told me of their astonishment and worries at the prospect of it being closed.
“I have written to senior Post Office management to ask why on earth it has appeared on this list, and I would encourage everyone to sign my petition to make the depth of local feeling clear.”
Conservative councillor and Deputy Leader at Kensington and Chelsea Council, Kim Taylor-Smith, said he shared the concerns of “many residents” about the future of the King’s Road Post Office.
He said: “Residents in Kensington and Chelsea are faced with the potential closure of two Post Offices in the Borough, on the King’s Road and High Street Kensington.“Given the prior closure of the Post Office in South Kensington, I am particularly concerned about the availability of services for our older and vulnerable residents who often rely on face-to-face services such as bill payments and access to cash. I would urge the Post Office to reconsider.”
A Post Office spokesperson insisted that there are no plans to shut the branch, but rather to franchise it out.
They said: “We are considering a range of options to reduce our central costs. This includes considering the future of our remaining Directly Managed Branches (DMBs), which are loss-making. We have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network and we are in dialogue with the unions about future options for the DMBs.”
