Petition to keep '˜vital' Post Office open in Long Lawford

The facility is run by The Heart of England Co-operative and is in the society’s Co-op Late store on Townsend Lane.

But the co-op plans to knock down the building and create a new Co-op Foodstore, offering customers more choice of products and doubling the number of full-time staff.

Pete McLaren, spokesperson for Rugby’s Trade Unionist and Socialist Coalition (TUSC), has started a petition against the closure and collected more than 100 signatures.

He said: “The Post Office provides vital service for people in this growing village.

“There are some people who do not have their own transport, access to the internet, or their own bank accounts, so how will they withdraw their pensions without a Post Office?

“Travelling to Rugby town centre would be an added expense and the elderly may struggle to use public transport. We will do everything we can to ensure the Post Office remains in Long Lawford.”

A Heart of England Co-operative spokesperson said: “Over the years strategic changes within Post Offices Ltd have led to reduced over-the-counter and transactional-based services. As a consequence, the Post Office has seen a significant reduction in footfall and income and in recent years has become financially unviable.”