14th November 2024

On Sunday I had the honour of attending the Remembrance Sunday Memorial Service in Park Gardens, where the Mayor is the Sovereign's representative (in the absence of the Lord Lieutenant). We remember those who fought in the two World Wars and conflicts since, where the dominant message is a wish for peace.Park Gardens was well attended and the organisers and those in the parade did an excellent job.On Monday morning I represented the Town Council as part of "Poppies to Paddington", where wreaths are taken from platforms on "Poppy Trains" along the GWR network to be displayed in Paddington Station. The wreaths are then laid at the War Memorial on Platform 1 in the station as part of the Remembrance service there, creating a display of remembrance for all the communities served by GWRs Intercity Trains.As Mayor I have the opportunity to do many things (regrettably, more opportunities than I can always find time for). Every engagement is special and at every engagement I learn something new or meet new people to learn from. Remembrance is something very important to me and it was an honour to take part this year, remembering those who have fallen and forever wishing for more peaceful times in our world.This week has also brought news of the potential closure of our town centre Post Office. This has come as a shock and the implications of this are severe. My first thoughts are for the staff there - employment uncertainty is horrid to experience and the team there are much loved by the community. Our communities rely on services offered by the Post Office, not just the more traditional postal services, but for banking services as more banks abandon their physical presence on our high streets. I met (earlier this year) with the now Chief Secretary to the Treasury, Rt Hon Darren Jones MP, and one of the key topics we discussed was the importance of financial services in our towns. If anyone refuses to accept anecdotal evidence the impact of closing banks can have on a town, the footfall data screams out the facts. As each bank abandons their community, so the regularity of visits and the footfall takes a hit. Unfortunately, a requirement of Banking Hubs is that all banks in a place must close before they can be considered, something that was put to me as protecting competition. However, it seems somewhat ludicrous that matters must hit rock-bottom before wheels to put a resolution in place can be started - something I have also raised with Central Government. We've all been told to switch to using the Post Office when our bank branch closes, but this requires the Post Office to exist in a place to use it. Every day I see the sacks of parcels, representing internet orders going to the Post Office here in town, from our beloved independent businesses who despatch goods across the world. Not all have the volumes for a premises pick-up, but all who do this will rely on the income their online trade generates.Yes, we have online services, but we should not lose sight of technology poverty, and the needs of our wider community. Not everyone is equipped with the skills to use online services, even if they do have the technology. If you can use it and if you are confident using it, that's fine - but not everyone is. Further, despite some popular narratives, we are quite some distance away from a cashless society. Many people rely on cash for budgeting; this includes some of the most vulnerable in our society, but it is not in any way exclusive to just the most vulnerable. I expect we have all seen the disruption when IT systems fail and cash is the only working option. Some of our most vulnerable in society rely on cash and we need to ensure they are well supported.As Chair of the Regeneration Committee, I have requested the matter of the potential closure of the post office is on our next agenda to discuss. We need to work with stakeholders to establish the least damaging options available to the community and how those can be achieved. In many cases the Post Offices will not close but will transform - transformation is okay if it is well managed and the outcome is a fit for purpose solution.