📬 Observations

• Residents of Westmorland and Lonsdale have petitioned to keep Kendal Post Office open, highlighting its importance as a vital community service in Kendal.
• The petition requests that the House of Commons urge the Government and Post Office to guarantee the future of Kendal Post Office and keep it in its current location or move it to suitable premises.
• Gareth Thomas, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, acknowledged the concerns raised by the petitioners about the potential closure of Kendal Post Office.
• No final decisions have been made about the future of Kendal Post Office or any other directly managed branches (DMBs).
• The Post Office is expected to engage and consult with local communities, Citizens Advice, trade unions, and potential partners to determine the best way to meet local postal service needs.
• The Government has set minimum access criteria to ensure that 99% of the UK population lives within three miles of a post office, protecting the overall network.
• The Post Office has the autonomy to make commercial decisions about its network, as long as it meets the Government’s access criteria.
• The Government will continue to work with the Post Office on its transformation plan, while ensuring the Post Office maintains at least 11,500 branches across the UK.

The session shows minimal disagreement. The petition expresses a clear concern about the potential closure of Kendal Post Office and requests its preservation. In response, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade, Gareth Thomas, acknowledges the concerns but does not directly oppose the petitioners’ request. Instead, he explains the current status and the broader policy framework, emphasizing that no final decisions have been made about Kendal Post Office and that the Post Office must engage with the community. He also outlines the government’s role in setting minimum access criteria, which indirectly supports the petitioners’ interest in maintaining access to postal services. There is no explicit disagreement or counter-argument presented against the petitioners’ request; rather, the response is informative and outlines the process and criteria involved in such decisions. The lack of direct opposition or conflicting viewpoints results in a low disagreement rating.