Calls for inquiry into post office closure

Councillors have called for a government investigation into why a "lifeline" Post Office was allowed to remain shut for nine months.

The branch in Tong Street, Bradford, which serves the Holme Wood estate, closed suddenly in October 2025, but will reopen on 21 July with a new postmaster.

The Green councillors who represent the Holme Wood and Bierley Ward said they had serious questions about how an entire community was left without access to essential services for so long.

Matt Edwards, leader of the Green Party group on Bradford Council, said: "I know local residents are pleased to see our local Post Office reopening, but we cannot simply pretend the last nine months never happened."

Edwards and his fellow councillors Celia Hickson and Iain McInnes have written to Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection Kate Dearden MP, the Local Democracy Service reports.

The councillors are asking the minister to investigate whether Post Office Ltd followed its own procedures when the branch closed, why no interim arrangements were made, and why communication with residents and elected representatives was so poor.

Edwards said: "Thousands of people were left without access to an essential local service, and repeated concerns raised by residents and local councillors were ignored by the Post Office.

"Many residents do not drive and were forced to make long and expensive journeys just to withdraw cash, collect pensions or send post.

"What concerns us most is that nobody from Post Office seems willing to explain how this happened, why it took so long to fix, or why no temporary service was put in place."

In response to the criticism, a Post Office spokesperson said the firm had "worked hard to reopen the branch as soon as possible".

"We know how important a Post Office is to a community and we are delighted to soon be restoring service to the community," the spokesperson said.

"We apologise for any inconvenience caused to customers since Tong Street Post Office closed in October due to operational reasons."

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