Ed Miliband MP campaigns to save three Yorkshire post offices after closures are announced

Post offices in Bentley, Askern and Stainforth are all set to close this month. Doncaster North MP and Shadow Climate Change Secretary Ed Miliband has called for three post offices in his constituency to be saved after their closures were announced.

Old Village Post Office in Stainforth closed on December 12, Askern Post Office is set to close on January 20 and Bentley Post Office will close on January 25. These closures are listed as “temporary” however there is no date listed for a reopening.

Mr Miliband said: “I am deeply concerned about the upcoming closures of the Post Offices in Askern, Arksey Lane, Bentley and Thorne Rd, Stainforth. We all know how important the Post Office network is to our high streets, local communities and particularly to older residents. We’re seeing the network disintegrating in Doncaster North. We lost our Post Offices in Norton and on Bentley High Street a couple of years ago and now we’re seeing more closures this month.

“Postmasters have been under an incredible strain, struggling to make a living during the pandemic, and many don’t earn the minimum wage. I have written to the Chief Executive of the Post Office to find out what is being done to find alternative premises. I have also raised this with the Government.”

Closure announcements read: “Post Office is facing a particularly challenging period, as are other high street retailers. The impact of rising costs, inflation and restrictions on our funding from Government mean that while we will always look to reopen branches when they close, we cannot commit to doing so in every instance.”