Ashford's Post Office will move to WHSmith within a matter of weeks - but bosses are yet to confirm what will happen to their historic Tufton Street branch.

Four serving counters will be available at the high street book retailer when it becomes home to the town's branch from 9am on Thursday, March 21.

The Tufton Street site - which has been home to the service since 1926 - will close a day earlier at 5.30pm and chiefs say they will be deciding what to do with the prime building "in due course".

Shoppers in the town centre have mixed views over the switch.

Willesborough resident Paul Featherstone says he thinks it is a bad idea.

"To be honest I only use it to buy stamps as most of the services are accessible online these days," he said.

"However it will be especially sad for the elderly people who've gone there for years and are still the main users."

Jordan Pilcher, who is also from Willesborough, said: "It's been there for quite a while so it's a bit of a shame, but if it'll make much more business sense and it's a strategic move then I understand why they would do it.

"I don't think there's much that would suit the building in Tufton Street, perhaps a bank might do well there."

Natalie Sanders, of Bank Street, says the existing Post Office site has potential.

She said: "I don't think there's that great an idea in terms of what should go in there, hopefully it'll be something useful and not another barber.

"If it's a shop or something similar then that would be great."
All services except for cash machines will be retained when the Post Office moves to WHSmith.

Extended opening hours will be offered in WHSmith, which is about 160 metres away from the existing site.

At its current Tufton Street home, the Post Office does not open on Sundays but it would open from 10am to 2pm in WHSmith.

It would also be open from 9am to 5.30pm Monday to Saturday.

WHSmith already runs 135 post offices in its branches nationwide, but the number will expand to more than 200 by the end of this year.

The Post Office has spent almost 100 years at its current Tufton Street spot, following its move from Bank Street in 1926.

Last year, a public consultation ran from October to December but chiefs received feedback from only 29 members of the public.

A customer forum event held at The Elwick Club in Church Road - which ran from 3pm to 7pm on November 20 - was attended by just two people.

When asked about the future for staff at the Tufton Street site, a spokesman said: "There are 13 employees at the Ashford branch and we continue to talk to them individually about their potential options.

"Employees have the right to transfer their employment in line with TUPE legislation, there might also be opportunities for redeployment or voluntary settlement.

"If a member of the Post Office team transfers employment under TUPE legislation they will do so with the protections afforded to them by that legislation."

The TUPE regulations (Transfer of Undertakings Protection of Employment) provide rights to employees when their employment changes when a business is transferred.

Earlier this month, WHSmith chiefs applied to Ashford Borough Council to add Post Office signage to the front of their shop.

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