Julia Lopez, the Member of Parliament for Hornchurch & Upminster has written to the Post Office raising concerns about the potential closure of its Harold Hill branch in Farnham Road.
On hearing the news, the Hornchurch & Upminster MP wrote to the Post Office in order to let them know how important the branch is to the local community, as well as to find potential solutions to save it.
In her letter, Mrs Lopez raised concerns that following the recent closure of bank branches in the area, losing the Post Office would leave Harold Hill further cut off from cash services.
The letter details that this would be particularly problematic given that the community is more cash dependent than other areas of the constituency. The area also has the fewest public transport connections, making it harder for people to use alternative branches to access cash.
Last month, Mrs Lopez met with Link UK to push for a banking hub in the Harold Hill community, prompted by her concerns about diminishing cash access. In her letter, Mrs Lopez has raised concerns that any potential closure could make the situation worse.
Her letter asks the Post Office if it would consider speaking to Havering Council about its plans. Mrs Lopez believes that the redevelopment of Harold Hill town centre would give the Post Office a chance to find a new site for a branch, meaning services could stay on the high street on a long-term basis.
Whilst not all of the 115 branches to be offloaded will close as a result of the announcement, there has been no indication as to which branches will be transferred to retail partners, postmasters, or simply just closed.
