A petition has been launched to save an East End post office from closure.

Dennistoun Conservation Society are asking residents to sign the petition to keep the Duke Street branch open.

In less than a week, more than 800 people have put their names to the campaign to prevent the ‘crucial community amenity asset’ being closed.

Stephen Birrell, Dennistoun Community Council spokesperson, said: “Over the past few months Dennistoun Community Council (DCC) has flagged up concerns about the impact of proposed closure of the post office at Annfield Place / Duke Street.

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“For many DCC members this concern builds on a community council-led campaign to challenge the closure of Cubie Street sorting office and relocation of that vital community service to an out of city industrial park. Unfortunately, Royal Mail had already enacted.”

Last month, Post Officer workers staged a strike in a dispute over jobs, closures and pensions.

The Communications Workers union is currently involved in a long-running struggle over the franchising of Crown Post Offices, the larger branches usually situated on high streets, job losses and the closure of a final salary pension scheme.

David Bowmaker, from CWU, explained: “We support the petition. We believe that The Post Office is in crisis. The CWU believe that the government needs to intervene, and look for a positive future for the Post Office.

“The plan to close the Duke Street Crown Office and replace it with a concession in the back on a local shop. Duke Street Crown Office is an essential part of the local economy.  “It’s a valuable asset to Dennistoun, relied upon by local residents and businesses as well as people who collect their pensions and benefits.

“The staff are well-trained and have a wealth of experience, which could be lost under plans to close this office and find what it calls a ‘retail partner’.

“If this Post Office was to close it would be a major blow to the local economy and to the services which many people rely on.”

The Post Office argues that moving Crown offices – the larger branches usually on high streets – to other sites such as retail outlets maintains and improves services.

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A spokeswoman for the Post Office said: “The current position is that there is no detailed plan for this branch at the moment. We advertised for potential franchise partners and there was registered interest.

“Once we have a detailed proposal we will firstly tell the staff at the branch and then there will be a six-week public consultation. We are looking to potentially franchise the branch so that it is commercially sustainable into the future.”