A POST Office in a box as well as parcel drop off and pick up branches were just some ideas mentioned at a meeting this week...but unfortunately there are still no plans for Wellington.

Wellington Town Council (WTC) councillors met with Richard Hall, external affairs manager at Post Office Ltd, on Tuesday night (July 13) to discuss the provision of a Post Office in the town.

The previous branch, located in the One Stop, closed in August 2019, and so the town has been without one for nearly two years.

“It has been a tough 18 months for the Post Office, as with all retailers,” said Mr Hall.

“We were affected and branches have been closed for some time or had to close for short periods of time as staff have become ill or asked to self-isolate.

“Our revenues have been severely disrupted, so we are having to look at funding and support on a case by case basis.”

To restore services to Wellington, Mr Hall explained they would need a retail partner to come on board to house a Post Office.

They have advertised the opportunity online and to the Post Office partners, such as Co-Op and McColls, to see if anyone would be interested - but have not had much luck yet.

“We have a website called run a Post Office, this is where the opportunity for Wellington is advertised,” said Mr Hall.

“It gives an overview of the fees people could expect to earn.

“Because the branch has been closed for some time we would have dialled down the estimate as when one closes, people may not come back to a new Post Office.

“At the moment, we are estimating a retailer could earn up to £12,000 per year.

“And for a local Post Office, you are looking at around £12k-£15k set up costs. We can provide funding for this if we have a strong enough case - and I can’t say for definite, but I think Wellington will be a strong case.

“We do want to open a Post Office in the centre of Wellington.

“We do know we need another branch to support customers, and although we don’t have a statutory obligation to open one in Wellington, we do want to support communities.”

At the meeting, councillors and Mr Hall talked about the new Post Office in a Box idea which is being trialled around the UK - but Mr Hall said demand for this service is high.

This measures 845mm by 845mm and offers customers a range of services.

There are no plans for this in Wellington, by Mr Hall said he would look into it.

Mr Hall also talked about the trial of branches used purely for picking up and returning parcels, but again, there are no plans for this in Wellington.

If you are interested in the opportunity in Wellington, visit runapostoffice.co.uk.