Plans to extend the route of a mobile Post Office to include another village in Renfrewshire have been dubbed an “early Christmas present” for residents.
The Post Office has confirmed the van, which serves Houston and Lochwinnoch, among other rural Scottish communities, will now make a stop in Howwood.
It is scheduled to operate from the village hall car park in Station Road from January 9 - opening on Mondays from 9am to 10am and Wednesdays 11.45am to 12.45pm.
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Councillor Andy Doig, who represents Howwood, first contacted Post Office in February of this year and requested its inclusion on the van’s run after the lack of a service was raised at a meeting of the community council.
However, the 13-stop service had to be given time to bed in before it could be established whether it could be extended.
Councillor Doig was “delighted” to receive confirmation from senior Post Office management that it would happen.
He said it represented a “victory for people power” as more and more people are asked to use financial services online.
The independent politician added: “Whilst villages like Howwood and Lochwinnoch are comparatively affluent, in the current cost-of-living crisis being digital may be a luxury too far for some.
“Even if financially possible, many people - especially the elderly and those on fixed incomes - may not have the necessary skills and in essence have no desire to learn them.
“If the Covid lockdown taught us anything, it is that it is essential for individual health to have social contact and since February this year I have been pushing Post Office to include Howwood in the mobile van route, as it has been so popular in Lochwinnoch.
“That neither village now has an established Post Office is a matter of deep regret but this is a step forward.
“I am extremely grateful to Post Office for listening to my pleas and I think it is fair to say that this decision, and subsequent new service to the village, is an early Christmas present for the people of Howwood.”
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A Post Office spokesperson said the service was being introduced to meet “customer needs” in the village.
They added: “The postmaster from Johnstone Post Office currently operates a mobile service for 13 communities in the area and is willing to extend the service to the community.”
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