Coleshill needs a reliable Post Office again
Rachel Taylor MP, North Warwickshire and Bedworth
January might not be everyone’s favourite month, but I’ve really enjoyed getting stuck in to a new year as your MP. I’m determined to make sure Britain has turned a corner and that a brighter future lies ahead. In parliament that has meant voting to create a new Armed Forces Commissioner who will stand up for military families, and for new rules cutting school uniform costs for parents and safeguarding vulnerable children.
In North Warwickshire and Bedworth, I have continued to hold HS2 to account for the disruption they are causing to residents. This month, I wrote to HS2 demanding answers about their unacceptable use of non-disclosure agreements for constituents trying to access compensation, and attended a residents’ meeting at the HS2 site in Gilson Road where I pushed for them to unblock their dysfunctional complaints process and to open up the special cases scheme. When making a complaint to HS2, please make sure you put ‘complaint’ in the subject line of any letter or email.
Last year, I launched an HS2 constituent newsletter, where I will be sharing updates of what I’m doing to tackle this problem. Sign up to receive it at www.rachel-taylor.co.uk/HS2/
Campaigning in Coleshill, one issue that comes up a lot is the closure of the Post Office Counter and Post Box, and the poor service and sporadic hours at the replacement Post Office desk inside the One Stop shop on Coleshill High Street. It’s not unreasonable for residents in Coleshill and the surrounding villages to expect to have a functioning Post Office.
This was an issue I took up straight away after being elected last July, when I wrote to the Post Office, Royal Mail and One Stop demanding improvements.
Since then, I haven’t let the matter rest, and it was fantastic to see many Coleshill residents at my community meeting at Coleshill Town Hall on 10 January. Nearly 100 people attended to hear from representatives of One Stop and the Post Office on what action they would be taking to fix things.
I’m pleased to have secured their commitment that the Post Office counter will now be open from 9am to 5:30pm Monday to Friday, and from 9am to 1pm on Saturdays, with plans to train more staff to build towards longer operating hours. One Stop will also be installing a new post box in the shop to replace the one that was removed from the High Street by Royal Mail, and One Stop will be introducing new security measures in the store.
While we did experience a small hiccup when the very next working day the Post Office counter didn’t open on time, since then things seem to have greatly improved and I have not had any further issues reported to me. But if you do find the Post Office counter closed when it should be open, please do contact me because I am determined that from now on the people of Coleshill will have a functioning Post Office at the heart of their community.
And a few more things… We have local elections coming up in May. I am continuing to oppose Conservative-controlled Warwickshire County Council’s attempts to delay them until next year – voters deserve to have their say.
I will be holding a drop-in surgery at Water Orton Community Library on 14 February 11am – 1pm and an appointment surgery in Coleshill on 29 March between 10am – midday. If there’s something you think I could help with, please come along or make an appointment with my office.
And finally, whether it’s a policy question or a casework issue, I’m keen to hear from you – you can contact me at rachel.taylor.mp@parliament.uk.
