Ullapool Tesco and Post Office urged by MP to ‘join forces’
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Ross-shire MP puts pressure on Post Office and Tesco to join forces in creating a reliable postal service for the Wester Ross village.
Locals met with MP Ian Blackford last week to express their concerns over the inadequate Post Office services in Ullapool, with one resident revealing he had to drive 45 miles to Dingwall to post a parcel.
Ullapool’s previous postmistress is understood to have first handed in her notice nearly two years ago – however there have not been any long-term solutions established to maintain Post Office services in the village.
Dingwall Post Office is now providing a mobile service for Ullapool, until a “permanent solution” is found. However, the mobile service is only scheduled to operate only on Mondays, between 9.30am and 1.30pm.
MP Ian Blackford said: “I understand that Andrew Hayton, Manager of Ullapool Tesco has accepted an invitation from Lochbroom Community Council to attend their next meeting, but that no-one from the Post Office has agreed to attend, as yet.
“It is imperative that both parties do everything in their power to have discussions as to how a Post Office branch can be established in Tesco’s Ullapool store. It is almost two years since the postmistress gave notice. It is important that the local community has access to reliable Post Office services as soon as possible.”
SNP Parliamentary Candidate Lucy Beattie, who is from Lochbroom, also met with the Ullapool locals last week alongside Ian Blackford. She said: “The postal service in the Highlands has been continuously eroded since privatisation and the recent unearthing of the scandalous treatment of sub-postmasters has only further cemented a lack of trust in the way that Post Office treats communities and their people.
“In this case, the outgoing postmistress gave adequate advance notice of her intention to retire and during this time the service was subject to numerous technical and operational issues. At no time has Post Office made themselves available for scrutiny, even when the community council wrote recently and asked them to attend a meeting.
“The village of Ullapool has a bank, a medical centre, retail shops and businesses - all of which rely on a regular and reliable post office service. Residents are disadvantaged if they have no transport as the nearest service accessible by public transport is in Dingwall - a round trip of some 80 miles!
“Post Office needs to engage with Ullapool and to be accountable for the piecemeal post office services in this area.”
