THE Post Office said it’s going to “try and resolve the issues” surrounding its service in Newtownbutler as major concerns have been raised by local residents living in the area.
Residents have been left incensed after a post office on the Clones Road in Newtownbutler has been struggling to maintain its daily and vital service, due to recurrent issues with staffing levels.
Victor Warrington, a councillor in the area, has been contacted by a number of residents. He has had numerous negotiations with the Post Office in a bid to restore a proper service to the village.
“People have gone into the post office and there was nobody there and they weren’t able to avail of the proper service that they need on that occasion,” Mr Warrington explained to the ‘Herald.
“The issue is around staffing issues. The Post Office is working alongside the Musgrave Group who own the shop and they’ve assured us they’re going to try and resolve the issues.”
Gerry Kearns, a local resident in Newtownbutler, has been campaigning for a better local service.
“I go there to get my pension, and every time I go, it’s closed,” explained Mr Kearns.
“It’s devastating. People are so frustrated about the whole thing. Some have had to go to Lisnaskea to collect their pension, because nobody knows when or if the post office will reopen.”
The Post Office has been at the centre of a public enquiry into the Horizon scandal. It’s reported that between 700 and 900 subpostmasters were wrongfully prosecuted for financial crimes.
It was recently confirmed that branches in Belfast City, Derry and Newtownards would close down in the next few weeks, with the Post Office set to offload over 100 post offices across the UK.
The local councillor has called for more support for the Newtownbutler Post Office, citing that some elderly residents “don’t have the facility” to bank and do their financial business online.
“With the closure of the bank in Lisnaskea, this post office is probably the next port of call. Some older people don’t like going online and they don’t have the facility,” said Mr Warrington.
“Some older people are not au fait with online banking and a lot of people would say to me that they wouldn’t use an online bank. It’s almost a social outing for some of them, to chat to people.”
Mr Warrington also feels that rural villages in Fermanagh need extra support and help.
“Although it has improved greatly, there are still areas that have poor broadband signal. There are still issues and the Erne East area is very rural,” added the Fermanagh councillor.
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