One year on from its re-opening, the Government Minister for Small Business, Margot James, has praised Heathfield’s Post Office, and its Postmaster, Mr Sanjiv Patel. Mr Patel had taken on the community’s Post Office following a twelve month period where no service had been available at all. 

Mr Patel, of Unique Wines, Heathfield, applied to take on the Post Office franchise when the previous landlord closed the premises and refused to permit it to be reopened. The community of Heathfield had rallied around to find an alternative premises but it was only when Mr Patel offered to refurbish his existing shop to house the Post Office that a service resumed.

In a debate in Parliament on Post Office closures, Huw Merriman, the Member of Parliament for Heathfield, spoke of the loss which the Post Office caused to the local community and praised Mr Patel saying “I use this opportunity to thank Mr Sanjiv Patel from Unique Wines in Heathfield, who had the vision and was willing to take the risk and take the Post Office on. Almost 12 months on, that business is thriving and I pay tribute to him for taking that risk”. Responding at the close of the debate, the Small Business Minister recognised the contribution which Mr Patel has played, saying “I join him in congratulating Mr Sanjiv Patel on taking the risk, as many others around the country have done”.

Speaking after the debate, Mr Merriman said “Whilst many of my colleagues spoke of impending closures, I was able to speak about a record which, in my constituency, has seen 17 of my 25 Post Office branches receive investment to modernise, 6 branches receive Community Status (giving access to investment funding as the last shop in the village) and 600 additional branch opening hours per week with 10 branches now opening on Sunday. The experience for Heathfield was appalling but, thanks to Mr Patel and the support of his customers, we are in a better place. This subject was the first debate I sponsored in Parliament so it was fitting that it was my last contribution before Parliament breaks for an election. I repeated my request that an area, with a population of 5,000 or more residents, which loses its Post Office for at least six months should have a directly provided store by Post Office Ltd.”

Mr Merriman is framing the excerpts from the speeches from Hansard’s Parliamentary Records and will be presenting it to Mr Patel as a thank you to the team at Heathfield Post Office.