In January, the Post Office announced it would close 37 flagship crown offices affecting branches in High Street, Hornchurch and Collier Row Road, Collier Row.

Following the announcement, my local Conservative Association, led by Chairman, Bob Perry, began collecting signatures for a petition against any potential closure of the Hornchurch branch. Today, I helped the Association present their petition by inviting Laura Tarling, the Post Office’s external affairs manager, to Hornchurch to discuss the proposed closure of the High Street branch.

At the meeting, Mr Perry and the team expressed concerns about the loss of services in Hornchurch. Ms Tarling explained that the Post Office aims to retain the existing services but move the branch itself into a partner store which could operate the Post Office as a franchise. 

We shall be watching developments closely and pushing for the Post Office to retain an accessible high street location, improved opening hours and more modern service provision.