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13
Aug
MP ‘astounded’ by decision on Knaresborough Post Office
The postmaster whose company went insolvent owing £370,000 is to re-open a Post Office in Knaresborough.
Knaresborough Post Office closed suddenly in June — a day after Post Office Ltd announced a consultation on moving the service to Lloyds Pharmacy with the same postmaster Ankur Singh.
Mr Singh was sole director of VPS PVT Ltd, a Nottingham-based company that entered voluntary liquidation on June 13 owing £253,000 to HMRC and £124,000 to other creditors, as revealed by the Stray Ferret.
Property company Depho Estates Ltd, the landlord of the High Street building previously occupied by the post office, raised concerns last month about whether it was appropriate for the service to be run by the same postmaster given the level of debt.
Now Harrogate and Knaresborough MP Tom Gordon has revealed he’s been informed by Post Office Ltd that Post Office will indeed re-open in the town’s Lloyds Pharmacy under the same postmaster. Post Office Ltd has yet to announce the decision.
Lib Dem Mr Gordon, who has had various phone calls with Post Office officials in recent days, expressed disappointment and frustration with the decision and the lack of transparency around it.
He said:
It is very disappointing to hear that the Post Office is going to continue with a half-baked plan that will hurt essential health services and provide a diminished Post Office service.
Reopening Knaresborough’s existing Post Office should be a priority, and yet we still have no timetable for when services should be up and running. To suggest that the previous operator has to be the one to run a reopened service is astounding.
They have failed to provide any Post Office services for the last two months. There are wider issues at play, like how can Post Office Ltd, owned by the government, allow individuals who owe hundreds of thousands to HMRC to run contracts.
When parliament returns, I will look to make this point to the postal minister at the earliest opportunity. Post Office Ltd have dithered and delayed and ignored local residents. Simply put they have got this wrong.
At a time when public trust with the Post Office is already at a low this will only further tarnish their reputation. It is extremely frustrating and disappointing that Post Office Ltd have not listened to local stakeholders and the community, and have insisted on going ahead with a plan that will harm Knaresborough rather than help it.
Knaresborough’s nearest full postal service is currently at the Red Box on Starbeck High Street, which is run by Andrew Hart.
Mr Hart has made no secret of his desire to run the Post Office in Knaresborough, said:
Whilst I am very pleased that Knaresborough will, after a totally unnecessary gap of 10 weeks, have its own post office again. I have found the whole saga incredulous from beginning to end. Whatever happened to transparency, honesty, customer service and the traditions of the Post Office as a public institution? I hope we can continue to serve the lovely people of Knaresborough at our Starbeck branch. Thank you everyone.
The Stray Ferret has asked Post Office Ltd about the announcement and asked whether it considered the insolvency when making its decision but has not had a response.
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