SIR – Lower Broadheath is suffering at present without a post office.

The powers-that-be are determined to downgrade the business.

The young lady postmistress has been so stressed over this that she is too unwell to come to work and as a result our post office is out of use.

Our MP Harriett Baldwin has been asked to intervene in the hope of getting a locum postmaster/mistress but as yet we are still without.

We are told that Post Office Counters wish to make our post office into a ‘local’ which means a downgrading of the service and a big reduction in the fee paid to the business.

If this happens it will put our village shop in danger of becoming unprofitable, which in turn may mean we lose that as well.

Lower Broadheath is not far from Worcester or Hallow where there are post offices but our buses are few and far between, making the option for the elderly to get to other post offices very difficult.

Another point that should be made is that there are plans afoot to build a lot more houses in the area which would mean even more business opportunities for the post office.

More than 40 are planned for almost opposite and with the bigger plans that are in the pipeline it seems shortsighted to close or downgrade this business.

I have written to Mrs Baldwin but at the time of writing have only received an automated reply so far.

I am hoping for a more satisfactory reply soon.

BRIGID SHEPHERD

Lower Broadheath