Farron welcomes Post Office plan for Barbon

Local MP Tim Farron has welcomed the news that a Hosted Outreach Service is to be run from Barbon Village Hall.

In October 2012, the Barbon Post Office Branch was closed due to the retirement of the subpostmaster. Following that closure, the Post Office has proposed the establishment of an outreach service in its place, run by the post office team from Sedbergh. In December Tim asked local residents to get involved in the Post Office's consultation to make sure a service was kept in the village.

In a letter to Tim the Post Office said that the feedback they had received was mainly in support of the plans for a temporary outreach service.

Like Tim, local residents were concerned that losing the post office would be especially difficult for elderly people and for those who rely on public transport - given that they would have had to travel to Kirkby Lonsdale to get to a post office. Following the campaign, the good news is that local people will still have access to post office services through the new outreach service that will be at the Village Hall every Monday from 2-4pm.

In their letter to Tim, Post Office Ltd said: "We are, therefore, pleased that we are in a position to restore a service to Barbon in the near future. We have been heartened to receive the full backing of South Lakeland District Council and Barbon Parish Council for the new hosted service."

Tim said: "The post office was an integral part of community life in Barbon. It is vital that the new service meets local needs. My conversations with Post Office bosses and with local interested parties gives me real hope that the branch will be re-opened soon, but we must keep up the pressure to make sure that Barbon wins back its post office."