GAZETTE & HERALD: CONCERNED Chippenham town councillors have invited Post Office representatives to meet them to discuss the fate of the Pewsham branch.

Council members are determined to hear what the Post Office has to say about its plans to axe the 'vibrant and busy branch'.

If they accept the invitation, the Post Office should attend a meeting in September.

Leader of Chippenham Town Council, Sandie Webb, said: "Laurie Brown, the Chippenham town clerk has confirmed that we've written to the Post Office and invited them to come to a full council meeting and talk to us about the proposed closure.

"Because our meetings are open it means the public can come and have their say."

The Pewsham office is operated from the Tesco Express store on the Pewsham estate. Tesco inherited the outlet when it took over the One Stop chain of convenience stores two years ago.

"The Post Office refused to come and talk to us about the alterations to the Crown Post Office," Coun Webb said.

"So the mayor is willing to call an extraordinary meeting at a time that's convenient to them to talk about Pewsham."

The Post Office is closing about 3,000 of the UK's 9,000 urban sub-post offices in an attempt to stem huge financial losses.

The Post Office review, known as Urban Network Reinvention, is designed to ensure that a smaller but viable network remains.

"I find it's absolutely disgraceful the way they have done the closure," Coun Webb continued.

"Had they announced the closure of Pewsham before they talked about changing the main post office, the 4,000 customers would have had to use the town centre post office, so they would have had the numbers to stop the changes."

She added: "They've forgotten they're supposed to be a public service."

North Wiltshire MP James Gray has kept his promise and announced this week that he has set up a meeting with a senior Post Office executive to discuss the proposed closure of Pewsham Post Office.