Mid Bedfordshire MP Blake Stephenson is pushing the Government to do more to ensure rural communities have easy access to Post Office services.
Flitwick’s Post Office closed at the end of 2022, while the new town of Wixams is still awaiting its own service more than 15 years after the first homes were occupied.
And now Conservative MP Blake Stephenson has written to the Government urging them to do more to ensure rural communities are not left behind.
In the letter, he argues that the current criteria for the requirement of somebody being able to access a Post Office within 3 miles of their house should be amended to focus on driving time, due to the unique nature of rural journeys.
Blake Stephenson MP wrote: “My constituency of Mid Bedfordshire is a large, rural area containing a number of villages and some small towns.
“We are persistently under-serviced by local amenities and infrastructure. Regrettably, this includes the absence of a Post Office in the town of Flitwick and in the new town of Wixams.
“Plans for a new Post Office in Wixams appear to have stalled in recent months.
“Given the important role that the Post Office plays in communities, as outlined in your report, I wanted to write to make the case for a strengthening of requirements of the Access Criteria. Currently the criteria refers to distances of one mile and three miles.
“What this forgets is that in rural communities like mine, a distance of three miles as the crow flies might represent a drastically different journey time in some areas – particularly where there is an absence of regular public transport. I would encourage you to consider whether average journey times might make a more effective proxy to ensure that services continue to be delivered in the way that the Government intends.”
Since his election, Blake has also supported the introduction of Banking Hubs, which also provide Post Office services.
He recently attended the one year anniversary of the opening of the successful Banking Hub in Ampthill and had previously asked for the consideration of another Hub opening in Flitwick, but this request was rejected by LINK.
