Alan Whitehead MP Working with you in Southampton Test
As those of you who live in the area know, Lordshill Post Office is closing. This is terrible for the local area, particularly as when Aldermoor Post Office was closed they justified it by saying there was one not too far away at Lordshill. I am working with the local Coxford Councillors, Tammy Thomas, Barrie Margetts and Matt Renyard to urge Sainsburys to add a small Post Office to their shop to stop residents, many of them older, from having to travel a long distance away. Please see the letter I have sent to Sainsbury’s Head Office and Sainsbury’s Store Manager below:
I am writing today about your shop in Lordshill, Southampton with a request for you to consider.
Firstly, I know that your shop in Lordshill district centre already provides and invaluable service to the local community. This has been particularly apparent during the recent COVID-19 Crisis. Yours is the only supermarket within walking distance of so many of the housing estates surround the district centre which includes a high proportion of sheltered housing. Without it, thousands of people would struggle to get to a supermarket for their shopping or would have to pay for an unaffordable taxi to go elsewhere.
Near your Lordshill shop there is a Post Office which unfortunately has announced it will be closing. They have reached out to several people to try and get someone to take it over but perhaps due to the current crisis no one was forthcoming. This will leave thousands without a local post office.
I believe this would be an excellent opportunity for Lordshill Sainsbury’s to further the local community by taking the Post Office into the store and providing this service for residents that have been loyal to your company since it opened in this area. Having a Post Office in store would ensure that those who come to the district centre for both the Post Office and your shop don’t have to go elsewhere for both.
The next closest supermarket is Tesco Superstore in Millbrook which has a Post Office on the way to it from Lordshill. Many may find it easier to travel to access both at the same time if they were to lose the Post Office in the district centre. I don’t think this would be the best option for residents particularly those who find it difficult to get around and I also don’t think it would be the best for the Sainsburys at Lordshill who may find that they lose customers. I am keen that the district centre at Lordshill is not hollowed out in this manner as I know it is perfectly located for the needs of residents.
Please can I urge you to seriously consider the feasibility of adding a Post Office to your Lordshill store. I am happy to discuss this with you and I know that local councillors across two wards in the city would also be keen to do so and may well be in touch with you separately