RESIDENTS in an isolated part of the city have been dealt a blow after it was announced a vital post office is set to close.

Garthamlock Post Office is one of the 31 counters Spar distributors CJ Lang and Son Limited has announced is set to close. 

No date has been announced for when the shutters will come down, but it is expected to be later this year.

The decision to close the counter was previously delayed after bosses at CJ Lang, who operate many post office counters in Spar stores across Scotland made plans to axe it earlier this year.

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Local MP, David Linden who represents Glasgow East has slammed the move and has asked to meet with CJ Lang and Son next week. He said: “This news will come as a massive blow to residents in Garthamlock and Craigend.

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“I continue to believe that withdrawing the Post Office service from the community is a deeply retrograde step and that’s why I’ve asked to meet CJ Lang and the Post Office Group to see what more can be done to overturn this decision.

“My constituents rightly expect us to strain every sinew to keep a Post Office in the area and that’s exactly what we will be doing in the coming days and weeks”.

Garthamlock joins thirty other posties set to close across Scotland including Westwood in East Kilbride and Lochwinnoch in Renfrewshire.

The charity for older people, Age Scotland, has warned the move will hit older people the hardest. 

Glasgow Times: Brian Sloan

Chief Executive Brian Sloan said: "Chief Executive Brian Sloan said: "This is an extremely disappointing move from Spar and one that will undoubtedly hit older customers hardest.

“As bank branches have disappeared rapidly from our high streets, Post Offices have often been the last remaining place to safeguard access to in person banking services.

“If they close, many people are at risk of being cut off from vital services and in a more difficult position when it comes to managing their money.

“Today’s announcement demonstrates that offloading responsibility to deliver banking facilities to Post Office is precarious if their partners then close counters and withdraw services, leaving customers high and dry.”

Glasgow Times:

A statement from CJ Lang said that they have been in negotiations with Post Office for 18 months about proposed closures.

The company, who run many Spar stores in Scotland said: “It is unfortunate that we find ourselves in the position of having to change the services we offer over the next six months.

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“Unfortunately, in some instances it is not viable for us to continue to offer the service at our sites. We will however continue to operate Post Office counters at several Spar Scotland stores across our network. This is representative of the industry-wide pressures on retail outlets as we evolve to keep up with changing consumer habits.”

A spokeswoman for Post Office said the company was 'disappointed' that the counters are set to close and that they had attempted to find 'tailored solutions' to keep the facilities open. She added: “Post Offices play an important role in the heart of local communities across Scotland and we have worked closely with CJ Lang for a number of months to help keep open essential Post Office services for their customers.

"This included working together to develop tailored solutions to address their needs and support them in the challenging retail climate.

“At certain locations, there are nearby alternative Post Office branches, but we recognise that for some particularly older and disabled people they may not be easily accessible. We will look for replacement solutions both on a temporary or permanent basis for those branches that close.

“In total, 31 CJ Lang branches will close and 17 will remain open. We are awaiting formal confirmation about the timescales for the affected branches before we inform local communities impacted.