South Scotland MSP Colin Smyth has welcomed the news that Georgetown Post Office will be re-opening on 23 May as a permanent service in the Premier Store on Calside Road.

The area has been served by a temporary hosted service in the library since August last year and this will close on Friday 20 May at 3 pm.

The new counter will be open Monday to Saturday, 8 am to 5.30 pm.

Colin Smyth said: “This is great news for Georgetown and it is down to the hard work and commitment of the community who have worked tirelessly to help secure a new home for their Post Office.

“I’m also grateful to Post Office and the shop owners who have responded with this proposal.

“For almost a year I have been working with local councillors, several local businesses and groups to find solutions to the Post Office closures in their areas and I’m happy this has worked out in Georgetown.

“However, there are still other towns and villages in our area which are struggling to find long term solutions to Post Office closures.

“There was a lot of anger over the decision by CJ Lang to pull the plug on several services in some of the Spar shops they owned, especially given that these were profitable, viable Post Office counters.

“A lot of work still needs to be done and we need the help of local businesses and the community to ensure we don’t lose these services.

“Having a Post Office in the community is vital for so many of my constituents, particularly those who are older or people who can’t travel easily.”