Plaid delight as Hendy Post Office is awarded funding

Local AM Helen Mary Jones and Plaid Cymru’s Parliamentary Candidate for Llanelli, Myfanwy Davies have welcomed the news that Hendy Post Office is one of 75 branches in Wales that have been awarded a total of £1.5m from the Post Office Diversification Fund.

The funding will lead to the equivalent of 57 full time jobs at post offices throughout Wales. This is the second round of funding which is designed to help sub – postmasters and sub – postmistresses diversify and improve their Post Offices. A total of £1.1million for sixty three post offices was announced in July.

The £4.5million fund, which will run for three years and is open to every sub pos office in Wales, aims to help with business and marketing advice, advertising, training and some set-up costs for new services. Funding can also be applied for improvements such as creating better access to buildings, upgrading computer equipment, improving security or providing better signs for the outside of premises.
Twelve Post Offices have been awarded grants of up to £5,000 each for small capital projects such as new air conditioning or security systems and sixty three have been awarded up to £20,000 each for larger capital projects such as renovation, improving access or installing facilities for new services. Thirty four of the Post Offices have also received up to £15,000 in revenue funding which will help employ new staff or increase

Plaid's Helen Mary Jones said:

"I am delighted that the Hendy branch will be benefiting from the funding that has been made available from the Welsh Assembly Government. Post Offices are often the heart in the community, and I know that in Hendy, this is certainly the case. This money will help us to keep branches open and I am delighted that so many post offices in Wales have been able to take advantage of the fund.”

Myfanwy added:

"The extra investment in Hendy post office is a real boost to the community and particularly to people who do not want to travel out of Hendy to shop. The investment package is very important in safeguarding post offices that remain a kept part of community and business life but it is sad that this investment is happening against a backdrop of a post office closure campaign by the London labour Government and the withdrawal of post office services like passport applications and the post office card."