Fears over future of Brora PO
PLANS to downgrade Brora Post Office has led its operators to call time on the business.
Andy and Mary Stewart, who bought the Rosslyn Street post office and attached house in 2010, have put the premises on the market.
The property and business are currently being marketed together but Post Office Ltd is open to the business being incorporated into other retail units in the village.
Mr Stewart said the couple had decided to sell up because of Post Office Ltd’s intention to reclassify the business as a “PO Local”.
The move means a cut in payment for operators and also a reduction in the services on offer. Local post offices do not offer passport, currency on demand or any Post Office financial service.
Three other post offices in East Sutherland — at Golspie, Dornoch and Helmsdale — have already been turned into PO Locals.
The post offices at Golspie and Dornoch previously had their own premises but now operate out of branches of Mitchells Chemist, while the Helmsdale PO is run out of Spar Stores.
Mr Stewart said he had been informed towards the end of 2014 of the proposal to reclassify Brora PO under the Post Office Network Transformation Scheme.
He said: “When the transformation scheme was first mentioned in 2013, over 1000 of my customers completed ‘Keep our Post Office Safe’ cards indicating they didn’t want the Brora PO relocated.
“These cards were passed to MP John Thurso during a meeting I had with him but he was unable to do anything to prevent this change coming.”
Mr Stewart’s concern over the future of the post office led him to take on a job as a business lecturer at North Highland College.
His wife currently runs the post office and the House of Brora gift shop which the couple set up alongside.
He said: “When we made the decision to invest in this business we did so based on the costs and revenues that were relevant at that time. As both the costs and revenues have changed, a new owner would need a different business model than we had.”
Mr Stewart said the post office premises were for sale either with or without the attached house.
But he acknowledged that the post office could also be incorporated into other retail units in the village.
He said that if no buyer could be found then the village would probably end up with an integrated PO Local in another retail unit.
“If we took no action, at some point in the near future Post Office Ltd would take the initiative and enforce the change upon us which would probably mean a change of location for the post office,” he explained.
“By making it available for sale now, it increases the chances that a new sub postmaster can be found and that the post office can remain at the same location which is what the overwhelming majority of customers want.”
A Post Office Ltd spokesman said: “Customers should be assured that the Post Office is committed to maintaining a service in Brora. As part of our government-funded investment programme we need to ensure branches in our network are commercially sustainable into the future, and the best way is for a post office to be part of a thriving retail business.
“In many locations a PO Local is a more efficient way of operating and offers greater convenience for customers through extended opening hours. We have talked to the postmaster about the options and the benefits of converting to the local model.
“Where this isn’t possible, or if a postmaster prefers to leave with compensation, we will seek alternative premises for the post office — or the postmaster has the option to market their retail business and premises.
“If the potential buyer would like to operate the branch then provided their application to us to run the branch was successful, they would take over the running of the branch as a local model.
“Any relocation of the post office would be subject to a public consultation, and the existing postmaster would receive a leaver’s payment when the branch transferred, to ensure continuity of service for customers.”
