THE main post office in Kendal has been saved.

Post Office Ltd have this week confirmed plans to close the facility on Stricklandgate and move all the services provided to a new setting within the nearby WHSmith store have been shelved.

And MP Tim Farron, who fronted a campaign of opposition to the plan, said he was delighted at the news.

“This is a massive victory for local residents,” he said.

“Out of the hundreds of times they’ve put forward plans to close post offices across the country, this is only the second time that Post Office Ltd have backed down.

“That’s testament to everyone who signed our petition and backed our community campaign and is a great reminder of what we can achieve when we come together and take on industry bosses.”

The plan to move the facility to within WHSmith sparked a storm of protest with a petition organised by Mr Farron gaining 4,000 signatures.

And this week, Post Office Ltd said after considering customer feedback and concerns over accessibility, they were abandoning the plan to shift the facility to WHSmith.

“Accessibility is a vital aspect of the services we offer and we have listened to feedback from the local community – those who have real insight into how the changes might affect them - before making our decision,” said PO network and sales director Roger Gale.

However, the threat to the Stricklandgate post office appears to still be present after Mr Gale said the organisation was “continuing to seek a new franchise partner for the branch.”

Noting this, Mr Farron said he would oppose any future move which compromised the services provided.

“The move to WHSmith failed because it would’ve seen a reduction in services, a reduction in space and much poorer access, especially for people with disabilities and local parents with pushchairs,” said the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP.

“Any new location would need to be justifiable by being an improvement on – or at least comparable to - the existing facilities.”