Let’s band together and stop the closure of our village Post Office.
That’s the call from a concerned councillor who wants to halt plans to shut the outlet in Tarbolton.
Arthur Spurling hopes to launch a petition to save the lifeline service which is earmarked for the axe on January 30.
And he is urging villagers to write protest notes and hand them into the Spar shop in Montgomerie Street where the PO services are currently operated.
The Kyle ward councillor says he will then collect and forward them on to Post Office bosses and the Scottish Parliament.
The Post Office claim the closure is due to the resignation of the operator of the Partner service and the withdrawal of the premises for PO use.
They say the branch will close temporarily while they investigate the options available to reinstate a service to the local community.
But they stress that it is important that any future service is sustainable for the persons operating it and for Post Office Limited.
Spurling says he fears this could mean the end of PO facilities in Tarbolton and will follow other Ayrshire villages that have seen a permanent pull-out in recent years.
He hit out: “There is a high age profile in the area. I live in Dundonald which lost its Post Office and it has caused unbelievable problems there.
“We already have isolation caused by the pandemic and there is further isolation because of the bus service.
“People will be left with long journeys to find another outlet.
“It doesn’t help the older generation, some of whom may feel they would have to take taxis and pay for them out of their pension.
“The mental health of people is suffering badly. People are already struggling in the rural communities and I say enough is enough.
“We need to highlight this and make people aware that there is a danger of this happening in other areas as well.”
The closure plan has dismayed members of Tarbolton Community Council and the village’s Tenants and Residents Association, both of whom claimed it came as a bolt out of the blue.
Villagers will face a six mile round trek to either Mossblown or Annbank when the PO shutters come down.
People who are unhappy about the closure plan have been asked to contact the PO’s national consultation team.
