Plea to reopen rural Post Office made to government

A petition calling for the reinstatement of a small community post office has been presented to the government.

Didcot and Wantage MP Olly Glover presented the signatures calling for the Post Office counter in East Hagbourne to reopen to parliament on Monday.

The Post Office had operated a counter in the volunteer-led community shop in the Oxfordshire village for the past two decades, before closing in February following the resignation of the rural bureau's postmaster.

In a statement, the firm said it had advertised for a new postmaster and had met with the volunteers to discuss them taking over the counter.

But Glover said: "To expect a small community run shop to take on the work and liabilities the new approach would involve is unrealistic."

"Not only has the inflexibility of the Post office resulted in the closure of the East Hagbourne Post Office, but it undermines the viability of the community shop and the social hub it provides," he added.

The community shop has hosted the Post Office cubicle for 20 years without charging for rent or utility bills, before being forced to close earlier this year.

Iain Duff, chair of East Hagbourne Parish council, said the counter had been "at the heart of our rural community" before closing.

"I hope that this petition will ensure it can remain so through the reinstatement of our Post Office in the Community Model," he added.

Villagers have spearheaded the months-long campaign to reopen the counter, with more than a thousand signing the petition in favour of its reinstatement.

Sally Barksfield, chair of the shop, previously told the BBC that its volunteers could not take on the management of the counter.

"What we really want is to continue the way we have the post office as it is, as this community model where we have a cubicle with a trained postmaster in," she explained.

A spokesperson for the Post Office said a job advert for the vacant postmaster position had closed on Tuesday.

"As the branch is currently closed any re-opening of the branch would be on a new contract," the firm said.

"We have had a meeting and discussions with East Hagbourne Community Shop about the opportunity."

"There are many examples of community-run shops across the UK operating a Post Office."

The nearest alternative Post Office branches are in Didcot and Georgetown - both of which are less than two miles (3km) away from East Hagbourne.