A CAMPAIGN to save Clacton’s High Street post office from closing has been launched.

Clacton Labour Party and the Postal Workers Union have joined together to save the service set for closure and relocation.

Clacton Post Office, in High Street, is set to move the first floor of WH Smith, in Pier Avenue.

Campaigners claim the move will disproportionately affect older and disabled people.

Labour Party Chair Max Morris said “Not everyone banks online and older people in particular like using the post office for paying bills and getting information about benefits.

“It’s also a fundamental part of our community where lonely people can socialise.

“The stairs will be hard for older and disabled people to manage as well as wheelchair users and people with pushchairs.

“The council is tearing the heart out of the town.

“Since austerity began under the present government we have calculated that 15 shops have ceased trading in Clacton town centre.

“They need to ensure that businesses are protected, they bring people into town and therefore increase footfall in other shops.”

A Workers Union spokesman added: “More than 1,500 of the 11,547 post offices in the UK are now temporary.

“More than 400 post offices have closed in the last six months.”

Accountants PWC recently announced that more high street shops closed on British high streets in the first half of this year than opened, taking the overall decline to a five-year low.

WH Smith runs 135 Post Office branches across the country, with a further 40 set to be relocated to the retail giant in 2019.

Although plans are at an early stage, the move is expected to include Sunday opening times for post office services.

Roger Gale, Post Office sales director, said: “WH Smith and Post Office have worked together successfully for more than a decade and our collaboration helps to secure our services on high streets for years to come.

“We’re continuing to respond to unprecedented change on high streets and in consumer trends.

“By adapting to the needs of customers we’re making sure Post Offices will matter as much tomorrow as they do today, with services available when and where people want them, in convenient locations and open for longer hours, including Sundays.”