‘Utter insult to community’ — Carmichael challenges Kirkwall Post Office closure

The sudden closure of the Kirkwall Post Office has been branded an “outrage” by isles MP Alistair Carmichael.

A handwritten note displayed inside the window of the Junction Road base announced the closure “until further notice” on Monday afternoon.

The reasons for the closure are as yet unclear. Customers with parcels, currency or other items due for collection were directed to contact Post Office directly.

Operation of the branch was taken over by Universal Office Equipment (UOE), last autumn, as part of franchising moves by Post Office nationwide.

The abrupt closure has been lambasted by Mr Carmichael.

He said: “This is an outrage and I shall be challenging the Post Office and UOE to explain themselves as a matter of urgency.

“Whatever the exact cause or intended outcome of this closure, for it to be announced through a message posted in the window and with no official information given is an utter insult to the community.

“When the news that the Kirkwall branch was no longer to be directly owned by the Post Office, we were assured that this was the right choice to ensure the long-term stability of the branch, and that all existing services would be protected.

“Over the past year that has proven to be entirely false. Today’s revelations are just the capping off of a degraded service overseen and tacitly permitted by the Post Office.

“The Post Office is publicly owned and must be accountable to our communities. We deserve better than this shoddy treatment.”

The Orcadian has contacted Post Office and UOE for comment.