We urge One Stop Stores to re-think their proposed plans to close 32 Post Offices in their stores nationwide, including the one in Rusthall.

Concerned customers have approached us as Borough Councillors about the plans to close the Post Office - a thriving and busy hub which has been a lifeline to many locals.

We understand that the plan is to replace the dedicated Post Office area with a single post office counter at the main shop tills to be serviced by the regular One Stop staff alongside their other duties sometime in 2024. While the exact form the post office service will take is as yet unclear, it has been confirmed that the Post Office service as it is at the moment will drastically change, creating uncertainty for all of us who rely on it.

The current Post Office staff have over 100 years of experience between them of working in the Rusthall Post Office, a priceless resource of skills and knowledge that should not be lost, either to the business or the wider community. The plan for there to be one queue for both shop customers and post office customers is likely to result in longer queues and a deterioration in service.

One Stop have at their heart the concept of being a local store there to meet community needs locally - to close a Post Office goes against this ethos, and we urge them to keep this vital service open.

Cllr Jayne Sharratt and Cllr Alex Britcher-Allan

Labour Borough Councillors, representing Rusthall ward on Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.