Councillor optimistic about Harrow on the Hill Post Office reopening

A deal to reopen The Old Post Office on the Hill is close to being agreed, a ward councillor has revealed.

The branch shut on July 3 2008 as one of 152 across London that the Post Office Ltd had decided to wind up three months earlier.

It had served the local community for five decades but customers, including the 800 boys at Harrow School, must use the next nearest service: down the Hill in College Road, Harrow.

Councillor Mark Versallion said: "Just before Christmas, I initiated Harrow Council and Harrow School talking to each other to save the Post Office.

"The school and the council are prepared to do this. We're looking to sponsor it."

"I'm very much lobbying everybody all the time to make sure we come up trumps.

"It's got put through [to the Post Office board] but since then it's dragged on.

"I'm confident we're going to succeed, though."

Mr Versallion said a reopened post office may not offer exactly the same opening hours and services at it used to.

The Observer's Save Our Post Offices campaign encouraged readers to take part in the official consultation process,and more than 500 wrote to the newspaper saying they wished for their local branch to be spared.

But despite the massive public outcry, four other post offices were also earmarked for closure in the borough.