A TEMPORARY Post Office cabin could be going into Wimborne behind the Minster – but the scheme could be hit with a 12-week delay.

A town council meeting heard that an agreement is being signed between the Minster and the Post Office over the use of Wimborne Community Learning and Resource Centre car park.

Town councillors met this week for the first time since the fire gutted several buildings on July 5 including Martin’s newsagents which included the Post Office.

They instructed their clerk to write “in the strongest possible terms” to senior officials to stress the Post Office service must return quickly and not take 12 weeks to be restored.

Cllr Robin Cook told the meeting: “It has been nearly five weeks since the district’s fire.

“The Tourist Information Centre in July this year were 1,000 enquiries down than the same period last year and we were suffering from the bridge closure at that time.”

He added: “The Post Office have signed for a site which is in King Street. We are not entirely happy about this but it is better than nothing.”

Cllr Marilyn Osner said she had been told that Post Office Counters did not have a spare vehicle of the right kind to use the car park. She was pushing for a faster timescale than 12 weeks to provide a service.

Cllr Anthony Oliver said the obvious solution would have been to return the Post Office to its old home in the delivery office on East Street, but they had been told this was not possible.

He said the town had some empty shops that could be used.

The meeting heard the knock-on effect was lost trade, and the postal box within the cordon could not be used. A Post Office spokeswoman said they were “working to reach a solution”.

  • Councillor Cook and prospective parliamentary candidate Nick King, with the backing of Robert Walter MP, have set up a petition to get the Post Office service restored quickly.