MP joins Horspath residents to present petition to 10 Downing Street to save Post Office

Freddie van Mierlo, MP for Henley and Thame, joined residents from Horspath to present a petition at 10 Downing Street calling for the reinstatement of the village’s much valued outreach Post Office.

The petition, signed by more than 600 people, over half the population of Horspath, urges the government to take urgent action following the closure of the outreach service in March 2025. The branch had operated for more than a decade from the Horspath Community Hub and served as a vital community service for residents.

The closure followed the retirement of the postmaster at Great Milton, who also staffed the Horspath outreach. With no direct replacement planned and limited public transport to the nearest Post Office in Wheatley, many older and more vulnerable villagers now face significant barriers to accessing essential postal and banking services.

Freddie van Mierlo MP was joined at Downing Street by Judy Kent, the sub postmistress who ran the service for more than 10 years, and residents Rebecca Brown, Sheila Jean Frankum, Shelagh Frances Lindsay and Anna Christine Radcliffe.

Freddie van Mierlo MP said:

“This petition shows just how much the outreach Horspath Post Office matters to the community. I am proud to stand alongside residents who are determined to protect this vital service and urge the Post Office to work with the village to find a way forward.”

“So far, the Post Office has refused to listen to residents. I know just how important this service is having seen it in action September last year. It serves not only residents’ banking and postal needs but is a focal point for older residents to get together, enabling them to live well and independently for longer.”

“It’s deeply frustrating that although Wheatley Post Office have suggested they would be willing to run the outreach, the Post Office are digging their heels in. We now need the Post Office to work with residents to restore this much-loved service.”