Inverness residents express concern over potential Post Office closure
An Inverness post office marked for closure has received a public show of support to continue operating.
It is one of three post offices in the Highlands and more than 100 across the country which could be closed as part of a Post Office shake-up.
Post Office chairman Nigel Railton recently announced plans to sell off 115 company-owned post offices, including the city centre Inverness branch.
However the Post Office could be closed if no suitable buyer is found to franchise out the Queensgate store.
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Independent businesses and entrepreneurs rely on the city centre service.
Local wood carver Tom Banks said: “I post parcels and they have a parcel drop off point here.
“I can walk from my house and post which you can’t do at a post box.
“It’s great. It saves me a lot of time. That’s really good when you’ve got a small business.
“I would need to go somewhere else. This is a walking distance for me so that’s quite good. I might have to drive somewhere, and it’s not good using the car.”
Angela Cameron regularly uses the Post Office to send parcels bought through online retailer eBay.
She said: “I don’t like the fact that it could be closing. I use it all the time.”
Inverness resident Harriet said “it would be a nightmare” if the city centre branch was to shut up shop.
“They are treating Inverness like we are second class citizens.”
She added that losing vital services like a post office will feel “like we are in a third world country”.
Moira Wilson said: “I would be really sad to see it go. A lot of people use it.
“I wouldn’t know what to do if it went away. I can’t reach anywhere else.”
Visitors from outside Inverness have already seen their local services diminished, forcing them to make trips to the Inverness branch.
Simon Goodey said: “It would be a big downer if the post office was to close.
“There’s always a queue, obviously lots of people use it. I used to have a local post office that has closed and now I come here.
“If they close this, where will I go? There is nowhere else.”
Dentist and researcher Mojtaba Mehrabanian said: “I came from Dingwall because we have no postal service there.
“It’s close to the station and easy to get to. Where will we go if it closes?”
The central Inverness branch is not immune from stagnating services.
One post office regular complained her wait times were over 30 minutes, and they had no pens available for customers to use as they kept being stolen.
“It caused me so much stress,” she remarked.
Some services within the post office, such as the self-service tills are currently closed.
Not everyone is bothered though, one local said: “I haven’t used it in five years. It doesn’t matter to me.”
What do you think? Email newsdesk@hnmedia.co.uk
