8IBUµT PO JO OXFORDSHIRE
WEST OXFORDSHIRE Inside ‘Bullfinch trial taught us many this week: important lessons’ p5 Thursday, January 16 - Wednesday, January 22, 2014
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WE’LL KEEP AN EYE ON THINGS District council to monitor Post Office move plans PM visits ambulance service
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WEST Oxfordshire District Council will continue to monitor plans to move Witney’s Post Office to the town’s WHSmith store. Councillors held a meeting with representatives from the Post Office and WHSmith amid concerns over accessibility and space as well as quality of service at the new branch. However, after being presented with the new store floor plans for the shop on the Market Square, councillors will continue to keep an eye on the move despite being reassured. Cllr Richard Langridge, cabinet member for Local Economy and Communities, said: “With the Post Office now having taken the decision to relocate, it was important for us to meet with them and with WHSmith as soon as possible to address concerns made by residents, local businesses and by ourselves during the consultation period. “The floor plans we saw indicated th that a significant propor-
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tion of space will be allocated to Post Office services and we were assured there will be no reduction in service and that Post Office opening hours will be longer. “We hope very much that this will be the case and that this is the best possible outcome from this move. “We will continue to monitor this closely.” The retail furnishings of the existing WHSmith store will be reduced in number while aisle widths will be increased to ease customer congestion. There will also be a main 1.5 metre aisle leading straight from the doors through to the Post Office area. Councillors met Post Office and WHSmith representative after a six-week consultation. Post Office spokesperson Laura Tarling said: “We are very pleased with the Council’s support following our recent meeting. “We appreciate how important • Continued on page 3