Siân Gwenllian MS Working for the people of Arfon

Siân Gwenllian MS, Liz Saville Roberts MP, Cllr. Cai Larsen and Llŷr Huws Gruffydd MS.

Four Gwynedd politicians have written to the Post Office urging them to reconsider plans to close their Caernarfon branch. Siân Gwenllian MS, Liz Saville Roberts MP, Llŷr Huws Gruffydd MS and Cllr. Cai Larsen represent the town of Caernarfon in the Senedd, Westminster, and on Gwynedd Council respectively, and they have reached out to Neil Brocklehurst, the acting Chief Executive of the Post Office to express their concerns about the possible effects of closure on their constituents.

In a letter sent on 13 November, they said:

“The Post Office is duty-bound to offer a certain level of face-to-face services in order to comply with the accessibility needs of residents. Gwynedd as a county has a higher median age than Wales as a whole, and a lack of trust or access means that some of our more senior constituents remain digitally excluded. In addition, within Caernarfon town lies the Peblig ward, a ward that consistently ranks highest for deprivation in Gwynedd in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD). Digital poverty is a very real issue in our communities, which places even more emphasis on the need for in-person services.

“Furthermore the Caernarfon branch serves a wider, more rural area than the town itself and with a lack of a proper public transport infrastructure an acute problem in this area, expecting constituents to travel further afield to access services is unreasonable.

“Let us conclude by highlighting Caernarfon’s very unique linguistic needs, needs that aren’t necessarily always met by online services or services in nearby towns. As a predominantly Welsh-speaking community, receiving services through the medium of their first language is essential in sustaining people’s trust and loyalty to the Post Office.

“Caernarfon town centre, like town centres across the county has struggled immensely in recent years, a situation worsened by Covid-19 and the cost-of-living crisis. Removing services such as the one you provide could prove to be the final nail in the coffin. At a time when The Post Office should be working to restore trust and public confidence in its services, this proposal rides roughshod over the needs of customers and we urge you to re-think any plans to close your Caernarfon branch.”