‘Tragedy’ warning as Paignton Post Office appears on hitlist

Losing Paignton’s town centre Post Office would be ‘a tragedy’, according to a local councillor who represents the ward where it is based.

Paignton is among four Devon Post Offices named on a list of 115 around the country under threat of closure. The Post Office says the branches make significant losses.

Other Devon Post Offices on the list are at Bideford, Teignmouth and Mutley in Plymouth.

Cllr Christine Carter (Lib Dem, Roundham with Hyde) said: “It would be inconvenient and tragic to lose this mainline Post Office. It is crucial to the local businesses and residents.

“This Post Office can be used for banking, which is increasingly important as the banks that are still in Paignton are not open very long in the week and hardly any on Saturdays.

“This Post Office is also useful for so many other things such as road tax, passport checks, foreign exchange and sending parcels, to name just a few.

“It is a vital asset, and this is shocking news.”

Cllr Carter said she wanted to know what engagement Torbay council had had with the Post Office to try to stop the closure.

Torbay’s Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling, meanwhile, has called for a meeting with Post Office managers.

“I am shocked,” he said. “This Post Office is part of the beating heart of Paignton town centre.

“I have written to the authorities at the Post Office, seeking an urgent meeting, and I have also written to the appropriate minister, seeking some assurances around this as well.”

The 115 branches are those wholly owned by the Post Offices rather than the smaller franchises. They currently employ around 1,000 staff.

Options could include operators such as WHSmith taking on the branches or closure.

The business has faced challenges in recent years including competition from rival parcel operators like Evri and fewer people sending letters or undertaking transactions such as renewing vehicle tax.