He said Halifax and Lloyds banks had "deserted" the town on the basis there was a Post Office there that could "take up the slack". Business and Trade Minister Gareth Thomas said "no decisions" had been taken about Kendal or any other individual directly managed branch.

The Post Office revealed it was looking to offload 115 directly-owned branches within its 11,500 network, which could see them transferred to retail partners or postmasters, or potentially closed. Around 1,

MPs from across the political spectrum have voiced serious concerns over plans to close 115 Post Office branches across the UK. The Post Office announced it is seeking to offload these directly-owned branches from its 11,