Cowbridge Post Office closed its doors on Saturday 16th September, leaving the town without a branch until a new location is found.
Following the closure, a meeting was held between local MP Alun Cairns and Stuart Taylor of the External Relations Department of the Post Office following the closure, to discuss the future of the town’s access to a postal service. Mr Taylor expressed the Post Office’s wish to keep the previous branch open until an alternative operator was found, however on this occasion it had not been possible. He did however report that the Post Office is looking as a matter of priority to reach an agreement with a new operator who would be in a position to host a Post Office branch on a long-term basis, to avoid the sporadic service to which Cowbridge residents have been subjected in recent years.
Speaking after the meeting, Mr Cairns said, “It is nonsensical that Cowbridge, the largest town in the rural Vale, would be left without a postal service. It is disruptive, not only to residents but to local business owners also, when they are faced with having to leave the town simply to visit a Post Office branch.
“My meeting with Mr Taylor was positive and encouraging. A formal application has been made by a potential new operator of a permanent Post Office branch in Cowbridge and I have therefore contacted Mark Ellis, the Network Operations Director, to request that consultations be carried out as quickly and effectively as possible. It is crucial that a branch is up and running in the town in time for the festive season, when the need for a Post Office is at its highest.”