Plans for parish hall post office in Brampton scrapped over costs and complexities

It means the village remains without a branch, leaving residents to travel to Wombwell, West Melton or Wath for their transactions, although it is understood a business in the village is actively involved in talks to introduce a service.

The previous branch closed in July and despite a campaign in the area to get an alternative - supported by MP John Healey, who wrote the Post Office chief executive - there has been no confirmed progress.

Brampton Bierlow Parish Council had expressed an interest in potentially using the parish hall to accommodate a branch, and held discussions with the company.

But chairwoman Helen Armitage said councillors had voted against the idea, because of costs and the scale of commitment it would have required from the council.

Making the building suitable would have meant spending between £25,000 and £30,000, she said.

Councillors would have also then had to take on responsibility for employing staff.

With most sub-Post Offices relying on other sales, like greetings cards, to prop up their finances, it was deemed the parish hall could not work as a venue, because it could not provide a ‘shop’ based income.

There were also issues of a potential conflict for use on Saturdays, because the hall is a venue for wedding receptions, which would have restricted Post Office opening times.

Cllr Armitage said: “There would have had to be alterations inside the parish hall, and we would have only been able to do it Monday to Friday because there are weddings on Saturdays.

“It was the finances which were the bugbear, we have a lot of repairs which need doing and the money we have spare will have to be used for that.

“It would have been a great thing for the village, but it would have taken too much of our time, as well,” she said.

Meanwhile, a new banking hub has been set up in Wath, operating from Montgomery Hall Monday to Friday, with different banks operating each day.

Hubs are an answer to the shrinking network of branches, but remain a relative rarity.