WELLINGTON’S MP made an impassioned speech in support of local Post Offices in the House of Parliament recently.
He secured a two-hour debate on the future of the service as part of his campaign for the return of a Post Office to Wellington.
The town has been without a post office since 2019 when the One Stop convenience store in High Street, which housed it, closed.
Nearly 300 people have so far signed a petition Mr Amos launched last month.
He told the Commons: “Post offices have long been at the heart of our communities.
“They provide essential services, support local businesses and serve as vital socio-economic lifelines.
“But in too many areas across the country, including my constituency, we face uncertainty over the future of those post offices and are already seeing the erosion of far too many.
“Post offices contribute an estimated £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy.
According to the Post Office, their presence generates an additional £3 billion in spending for the businesses that surround them.
He added: “I hear from many of my constituents how much they value our local post offices, and that those post offices provide far more than just postal services.”
Mr Amos paid tribute to “the friendly and hard-working staff” in his local post offices on Station Road (Taunton), Staplegrove and in North Curry.
Mr Amos said people in Wellington felt “misled and let down” that, when the town’s new banking hub opened, they went inside the building to discover it did not provide any Post Office services
“As we can all see, in this case, there is an obvious and straightforward solution: we should allow banking hubs to offer postal services,” he added.
“Perhaps most importantly, having spoken to Post Office staff, I know that they would be very keen to offer such services in banking hubs.”
In reply, Gareth Thomas, Parliamentary Under-Secretary for Business and Trade, said: “Post offices provide hugely important everyday services to millions of people across our country.
“Communities rightly expect to have access to those essential services, just as they would to a GP surgery, a primary school or neighbourhood police.
“That is because, as many Members made clear, post offices are the very beating heart of our towns and villages.
“On the future of the post office, we all know that our high streets have faced huge challenges in recent years. In some cases, the presence of a post office on a high street has been a game changer in driving footfall and attracting custom to other businesses.”
He added: “We will publish a Green Paper before the summer to seek the public’s views, insights and experiences to help shape the future of the Post Office.
“In the meantime, we are taking steps to continue to support the network. Along with the annual £50 million subsidy, we have provided a further £37.5 million to support the Post Office network next year.”
To sign the Wellington Post Office petition, go to: https://www.tandwlibdems.org/our-campaigns/post-office-for-wellington