The latest Post Office counter to close in the north-east has been described as a “hammer blow” to the community.
Northfield Post Office, located within the Spar convenience store in Aberdeen’s Byron Square, has announced it will close on February 28.
This closure comes following a decision by CJ Lang to withdraw the premises for Post Office use within the Spar.
A letter informing of the closure describes the situation as “temporary” while bosses explore other options.
Elizabeth Constable, 69, expressed her “disappointment” in the closure of her local branch.
She said: “I’m very disappointed. I use it quite a lot because I send a lot of parcels overseas and it’s very handy.
“I don’t understand why they’re closing it, it is very busy.”
James Dick explained the closure would make things “more awkward” for locals and echoed the fact it is widely used.
The 54-year-old said: “It’s very convenient, especially if you have parcels or a bigger letter to put through instead of having to use a post box.
“It always seems busy, it’s used a lot.”
Carole Hunter, 59, said: “It’s pretty shocking, especially in an area like this where a lot of people do rely on the Post Office.
“Say you’re an old age pensioner without a car?”
A Post Office spokeswoman commented: “We know how important a Post Office is to the community and the vacancy was advertised on www.runapostoffice.co.uk.
“We have an interested applicant and we are hoping to keep any temporary closure to a minimum.
“Regrettably, the operator CJ Lang resigned from operating Northfield and last year they resigned from a number of branches at the same time.”
She added: “Our field team has been working incredibly hard to find temporary and permanent solutions for branches and the majority of branches have successfully re-opened at new locations.”
Spar is ‘turning its back on our most vulnerable’
North-east MSP Tess White has expressed feelings of “disgust” at the decision to close the counter.
She said: “The closure of Northfield Post Office at Byron Square is a hammer blow to the local community who rely on this valuable resource on a day-to-day basis.
“I’m disgusted at this decision from Spar which is turning its back on our most vulnerable residents at a time of need during the pandemic.
“We have now lost six post offices in Aberdeen in as many months which is extremely concerning and there seems to be no end in sight with these constant closures.”
Ms White plans to write to both Spar and the Post Office to demand an “urgent review” of these business arrangements to save more branches from closure.
