A solution has been found to restore a permanent Post Office service in Helmsley.

A temporary service has been operating from the town's Black Swan Hotel, since August 2023 to restore a part-time service.

The previous branch closed in November 2022 due to operational reasons at 25 Bridge Street.

Now a permanent solution is opening at the previous location under new management. An experienced Postmaster, Jagadeesh Kumar. will take over running the Post Office and the convenience store.

There will be two open plan serving counters providing the same Post Office services as before. Customers of main UK banks will be able access accounts at new branch, Services will include bill payment, cash withdrawals and, postage, home shopping collections and returns

The opening hours will be Monday to Friday: 9am – 6pm; Saturday: 9am – 1pm.

Ian Murphy, Post Office Network Provision Lead, said: “We are delighted to be restoring a permanent Post Office to Helmsley as we know how important a Post Office is to a community. We are very grateful for the owner of Black Swan Hotel to providing accommodation for the temporary Helmsley Post Office and for the temporary postmaster maintaining service to the community whilst we worked towards a permanent branch.”

Helmsley’s North Yorkshire Councillor, George Jabbour, said: “Since the sudden closure of the business that was running the Post Office in Helmsley two years ago, Kevin Hollinrake and I have been working constantly with all stakeholders to bring postal services back to our thriving market town.

“Finding an operator for a Post Office takes a long time, which is why we ensured that we had temporary solutions in the meantime, including at the Black Swan Hotel.

“Having had numerous discussions since last year with the new operator, Mr Jagadeesh Kumar, I am confident that he will be working extremely hard to provide the best-possible service for local residents.”

Kevin Hollinrake, who has represented Helmsley in Parliament since 2015, said: "As residents know, the branch closed in 2022 due to operational reasons and replaced by a temporary service. Along with Cllr George Jabbour, I’ve been working hard with all stakeholders to restore a permanent solution to the town. I’m pleased residents will now be able to access postal and banking services from the new branch which is vital in rural towns like Helmsley.

"The permanent service will be operated by a new Postmaster, offering a range of Post Office products and services from two open plan serving counters.