Fort William residents will take to the High Street on Saturday as the town’s main Post Office closes with no confirmed full service replacement in place.
Fort William, Inverlochy and Torlundy Community Council is holding a public demonstration outside TGJones from 11am until noon on Saturday, 22 August, the same day the Post Office branch is due to close.
The demonstration marks the latest stage of a community campaign which began after confirmation last month that the High Street branch would shut.
The Community Council launched a petition calling for Post Office Ltd to retain a full service branch in Fort William, secure suitable and accessible premises in the town centre and prevent any break in service.
Despite that campaign, closure day has now arrived without a confirmed replacement offering the same range of services.
Alternative sub Post Offices have been identified at Corpach and Spean Bridge, but the Community Council says neither provides the full range of services currently available from the Fort William branch.
That distinction matters in a town which serves not only its own population but communities across Lochaber, alongside large numbers of visitors throughout the year.
The High Street branch provides 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.
When The Highland Times first reported on the campaign in July, the nearest comparable full service Post Office was in Oban, around 44 miles from Fort William.
The Community Council warned then that losing the branch would have consequences for residents, businesses and visitors, with particular concerns for elderly and vulnerable people and those who depend upon the Post Office for access to cash and banking services.
Corpach already provides an important local Post Office service, but operates as a sub Post Office within the Co op and does not offer everything currently available from the High Street branch.
The closure also removes another everyday service from the centre of one of the Highlands’ principal towns.
Saturday’s demonstration will give residents an opportunity to make clear that while the branch may be closing, the campaign for a proper replacement is not.
Fort William, Inverlochy and Torlundy Community Council is encouraging people who want to support the campaign to gather outside TGJones on Fort William High Street between 11am and noon.
The argument has now moved beyond whether the existing branch can be saved.
The question facing Post Office Ltd is what it intends to put in its place, and how long Fort William is expected to wait.
