One year after a south Norfolk post office was amongst a number of branches threatened with closure, an MP is calling for 'imaginative solutions' to keep it open.
In January 2017, Diss Post Office was listed as one of 37 crown branches the organisation was looking to close and franchise to partners.
At the time of the announcement the news was met with shock by the community who organised a petition to save the branch from closure.
One year later, the post office remains open, but with no local shops expressing an interest in taking on the franchise the future of the branch remains uncertain.
Now, MP for south Norfolk Richard Bacon and members of Diss Town Council are to meet with regional Post Office managers to discuss the future of the branch and to ask managers to reverse the decision to close it.
Mr Bacon said: 'It is good news that Post Office managers are coming to see the town first hand and discuss options for the future of the branch. I want to see the Post Office working with local councils on imaginative solutions that will keep Diss Post Office open.'
Adding that he believed the service to be an 'integral part' of the town, Mr Bacon said: 'Nobody wants to see buildings shuttered, least of all in such an important part of the town centre.
'Our priority must be to ensure that Diss is not left without a post office.'
A Post Office said: 'We're committed to ensuring our customers in Diss have convenient Post Office services into the future.
'The vast majority of our post offices are operated on a franchise basis because this is a sustainable model. We announced last year that we were exploring potentially franchising Diss Post Office but we currently have no detailed plans for changes to the branch.'
Brigette Butcher, who previously organised a petition against the closure of Diss Post Office, said: 'A lot of people in Diss would like the Post Office to stay where it is, it's the hub of the community and part of the heritage triangle it seems the ideal building to keep functioning.'
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