Coley Community Faces Post Office Closure Crisis

A post office and Morrisons Daily serving thousands of neighbours on Wensley Road, Coley estate, Reading, will close this Friday (August 14).

There has been a Post Office on Wensley Road for years. The precinct includes the Coley Park pharmacy, JFC Fish and Chips and the Coley Park Off Licence.

Morrisons Daily has been running the post office after taking over McColls in 2024.

Councillor Richard Walkem (Green, Coley) said:

"There is a large community here who now have no quick and easy access to a Post Office.

"The sign on the door says that the nearest branches will be the town centre and Oxford Road.

"It is really frustrating and unhelpful that citizens in the UK are beholden to national and multinational companies who provide essential services.

"I feel really angry for people in Coley who rely on The Post Office for access to money, and the options it gives to those who do not want to pay vehicle tax or buy their stamps online.

"This, on average, changes the lives of those who are on benefits, disabled or retired more than others.

"Since some of these people will now have to pay for transport or spend time on transport to get to their nearest Post Office, it is in effect a tax on these people."

An advert for a new operator to run the service was published on the Post Office website and has been removed after an expression of interest was made.

A notice on the store door points customers to the nearest Morrisons Daily at 24 Coronation Square in Southcote Lane.

Post offices remain at Broad Street Mall, TG Jones in Broad Street and 270-274 Oxford Road.

The closure follows an announcement that 100 Morrisons Daily stores will close over the coming months. In Berkshire, the Morrisons Daily and Post Office in Woodley will close on Wednesday, August 19. The site in Crown Wood, Bracknell, closed on Sunday, August 9, and the Morrisons Daily and Post Office in The Broadway, Thatcham, is scheduled to close on Sunday, October 4.

The Local Democracy Reporting Service attempted to contact Liz Terry, the council leader, and Paul Gittings, the Mayor for 2026/27, prior to publication.

James Aldridge, Local Democracy Reporter