Fort William’s main Post Office is set to close next month, prompting a community campaign to keep full Post Office services in the town centre.
Fort William, Inverlochy and Torlundy Community Council has confirmed it has received official notification that the High Street branch, which operates from the T G Jones premises, will close on 22 August, with no replacement location yet confirmed.
The Community Council has launched a petition calling on Post Office Ltd to retain a full service branch in Fort William, find suitable and accessible town centre premises, prevent any break in service and provide clear information to the public.
Community leaders say they are deeply concerned about the impact the closure would have on residents, businesses and visitors across Lochaber.
Fort William is one of only two Post Office branches serving the area, with the other located in Corpach.
While the Corpach branch provides an important local service, it operates as a sub Post Office from within the Co op and offers a more limited range of services than the main town centre branch.
The Community Council fears it would struggle to cope with the additional demand if Fort William loses its full service Post Office.
The current High Street branch provides a wide range of services, including personal and business banking, cash and cheque deposits, Royal Mail and Parcelforce services, bill payments, passport application checks, document certification, vehicle tax, foreign currency, travel insurance, Travel Money Card services and Western Union.
The nearest comparable full service Post Office is in Oban, around 44 miles away, while branches in Kinlocheil, Spean Bridge, Ballachulish and Strontian provide valuable local services but do not offer the same range currently available in Fort William.
A spokesperson for Fort William, Inverlochy and Torlundy Community Council said the existing service had already faced staffing difficulties in recent years but warned that losing the branch altogether would have serious consequences.
They said the Post Office is far more than somewhere to post parcels or buy stamps, describing it as an essential banking service for many residents and businesses, a vital source of access to cash, government services and foreign currency, and a lifeline for elderly and vulnerable people.
The Community Council has also criticised the way the vacancy for a replacement operator has been advertised, noting that the town’s name was initially spelt incorrectly and the postcode later had to be corrected.
Residents are now being encouraged to sign and share the petition in support of keeping full Post Office services in Fort William town centre while discussions continue with Post Office Ltd over the future of the service.
