Caroline Voaden

Caroline Voaden

Liberal Democrat — South Devon

Speaking in the House of Commons on 14 July 2025

Debate

Future of the Post Office

Contribution

Since the election, three post offices in my constituency have closed—in Churchstow, Aveton Gifford and Dittisham—through the resignation of postmasters and, in one case, the death of the local postmaster. Each time, the Post Office says that it is carrying out a review, and each time it quickly decides to close the post office and, as the Minister himself said, the beating heart of those communities is then lost. Dittisham residents must now travel nearly 5 miles to the nearest branch. There is no bus, so elderly residents who do not drive cannot get to the nearest post office. Will the Minister guarantee that while the consultation is ongoing, no more rural post offices will be lost, and that as part of the Government’s thinking, more flexibility could be built into the Post Office’s business model, so that innovative and enthusiastic potential postmasters who want to reopen post offices in some of these villages can be allowed to do so?

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