Staff of Machynlleth’s Post Office have spoken out against plans to change the post office services in the branch.

Earlier this month, it was announced that the branch would be redesigned this January, moving the Post Office tills to the front of the store, reducing the tills from two to one, and reducing some of the services to no longer provide ID checks and passport applications.

Staff have since raised their concerns over the plans, writing a formal letter to branch owner AF Blakemore & Sons Ltd on behalf of the team expressing their “serious concerns” about the removal of the second till at the “extremely busy” office.

The letter, which has so far gone unanswered, states: “Our Post Office is extremely busy, and even with two members of staff working, customers can experience long wait times.

“Reducing us to a single till would make it increasingly difficult to serve customers efficiently, complete necessary administrative work, and maintain a safe and manageable environment.”

They list concerns about a reduction in the quality of customer service due to a longer, slower service, concern over staff safety and security in cash-handling procedures, lack of space for storing parcels and no dedicated space for Drop & Go transactions, which take “two hours and require two members of staff”.

They raised concerns over staff wellbeing, leading to “higher stress, burnout risk and sickness due to unrealistic workload” with the expectation of staff managing both the Spar and Post Office tills.

They flagged the need for efficient banking services at the office, with no other banks left in the town - the closest banking services being 18 miles away in Aberystwyth.

The staff member, who did not want to be named, added: “We’ve already heard from other stores that made similar changes — and the feedback is overwhelmingly negative...

“These changes contradict Blakemore’s own values of service excellence, safety, integrity, and community focus.

“This is essential to protect customer service, staff wellbeing, and the vital services our community relies on.”

The proposed changes would convert the office from a ‘Main Post Office’ to a ‘Local Post Office counter’.

All services other than IDs, including postage and banking would remain the same, extending the Post Office hours from 9-5pm Mon-Fri and 9-1pm on Saturdays to 8-8pm seven days a week.

This week the community launched a petition against the proposals, amassing 136 signatures to date.

Locals also created a bilingual survey to collect data about how much the office is used and for what purposes.

AF Blakemore has been contacted for comment.

A spokesperson previously told the Cambrian News: “This change will not take place until January, ensuring no disruption over Christmas, and making sure our colleagues are trained and set up for success, to make the service at the till points as seamless as possible.

“The Local model will continue to offer the essential everyday services our customers rely on, including banking services such as cash deposits, and withdrawals, bill payments and cash orders/change.”

Sign the petition here - https://c.org/d7SWpDtZ88