Bids open for new post office location

A NEW post office could open in Caversham.

Applications are open for retailers within their existing or proposed business.

The post office in Henley Road closed in August after the postmaster resigned.

Branches remain in Hemdean Road and Caversham Road and in Emmer Green but they are about a 30-minute walk from Henley Road.

Nick Haskins, who chairs the Caversham and District Residents’ Association, said: “Post offices and banks provide vital services to residents.

“The loss of these services in North Reading is a real concern. It is really important to have access to these services near to where you live.”

Mr Haskins said having retailers which trade in cash, like post offices, was key to the ensuring financial inclusion.

He said: “The ones who are most dependent on cash are often less able to travel.”

Mr Haskins said physical post office branches were needed for those who prefer to access the services in-person, or who cannot access them online.

He said: “While some services can be done online, there are residents that are not confident to transact safely online and we need to ensure that these residents still have access to these services.”

When Caversham’s former Nationwide branch closed in 2021, it was left without any banks or building societies.

Mr Haskins said it would be more important to secure something permanent than to secure something quickly.

He said the postmaster position itself needs to be made a “more attractive proposition”, which he said is a nationwide issue due to financial pressures.

A spokeswoman for the Post Office said: “We have had interest from retailers to take Henley Road post office in Caversham but we have not had any applicants yet.

“The vacancy is advertised on www.runapost
office.co.uk and we would be happy to discuss the business opportunity further.

“We apologise for any inconvenience caused by the closure of this branch. In the meantime, alternative branches include Caversham, Caversham Road and Reading.”