Fears have been raised for the future of Caernarfon Post Office with Gwynedd politicians campaigning to save it.

Siân Gwenllian MS, Liz Saville Roberts MP, Llŷr Huws Gruffydd MS and Cllr Cai Larsen have written to the Post Office urging them to reconsider plans to close the branch, and reached out to acting Chief ExecutiveNeil Brocklehurst to express concerns about the possible effects of closure on their constituents.

But the Post Office told the ‘Cambrian News’ no decision has been made about the branch.

In their letter, the politicians said: “The Post Office is duty-bound to offer a certain level of face-to-face services in order to comply with the accessibility needs of residents. Gwynedd as a county has a higher median age than Wales as a whole, and a lack of trust or access means that some of our more senior constituents remain digitally excluded.

In addition, within Caernarfon town lies Peblig, a ward that consistently ranks highest for deprivation in Gwynedd in the Welsh Index of Multiple Deprivation (WIMD). Digital poverty is a very real issue in our communities, which places even more emphasis on the need for in-person services.

“The Caernarfon branch serves a wider, more rural area than the town itself and with a lack of a proper public transport infrastructure an acute problem in this area, expecting constituents to travel further afield to access services is unreasonable.”

They also note Caernarfon has unique linguistic needs not necessarily always met by online services or services in nearby towns, and receiving services through the medium of their first language is essential in sustaining trust and loyalty to the Post Office.

They add Caernarfon has struggled in recent years and removing this service “could prove to be the final nail in the coffin”.

“At a time when The Post Office should be working to restore trust and public confidence in its services, this proposal rides roughshod over the needs of customers and we urge you to re-think any plans to close your Caernarfon branch.”

A Post Office spokesperson said Directly Managed Branches like Caernarfon are loss-making and they “are considering a range of options” to reduce costs.

However, they say no decision has been made about Caernarfon, or any branch, but added: “We have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network and we are in dialogue with the unions about future options for the DMBs.”