Is Chiswick About to Become the UK's Largest Town Without a Post Office?
Leader of Council and local MP join calls for it to reopen
The Chiswick Post Office remained closed this Saturday morning
May 25, 2025
With the closure of the Chiswick post office entering its fourth week, there has still been no confirmation as to why it has been shut for so long and when it might reopen. Both Post Office Limited and the Sub-postmaster are not sharing information as to why it remains shut.
This week local MP Andy Slaughter and the leader of Hounslow Council, Shantanu Rajawat, joined calls for the post office to re-open.
At the same time, a petition calling for reopening, started by local Conservative counselors, reached over 1400 signatures.
These reflect the concerns of those who rely on the local branch of banking, bill paying and postal services for which there are currently often no other options in the Chiswick area.
The convenience store at number 1 Heathfield Terrace remains open, as does the Royal Mail delivery office. Initially. the man at the kiosk in the store was telling people that the closure was due to technical issues and that reopening was imminent. However, this Saturday (24 May) he was reluctant to offer any explanation or make a guess about a possible reopening date.
Trading conditions for Sub-postmasters are very challenging and there are indications that the Chiswick Post Office was not immune. It is believed that the post office counter business is carried out through a company called Siya Parcel Services Ltd. This company has not filed accounts since July 2022 and is currently subject to a motion to strike off which has been suspended.
The company does not have to publish full accounts but the limited information available suggests growing financial stress. According to an accountant who analysed the available information for us, the motion to strike off the company, which was made at the end of 2023, was most likely to have been made by HMRC due to unpaid tax and, if this is the case, the suspension indicates that the bill was paid or an arrangement was made with the tax authorities.
The financial reports suggest that the sole director, Mr Daxeshkumar Patel, put his own money into the company to help it meet its obligations during the pandemic and had been seeking to draw this down but was unable to do so in the financial year to July 2022.
It is also believed that the operations of the Chiswick Convenience Store on the same premises are conducted under a company called Siya Sweetmart Limited. The accounts of this company, which has the same director as Siya Parcel Services, are up to date. However, the latest published information shows that the net liability position of the company is growing with the director taking advances from the company of £26,061.
Taken together these accounts suggest that the convenience store is cross-subsidising the post office services but is increasingly less able to do so.
Neither Post Office Ltd nor the Sub-postmaster is responding to comments on this matter.
Should the current Sub-postmaster decide not to continue with the business, it is thought highly unlikely that anyone would be persuaded to take the branch over. Aside from the difficult trading environment, the building is widely expected to be demolished in the next few years for redevelopment. The lease is held by Royal Mail from a property development company and is believed to currently be being renewed on a short-term basis.
Were the post office to close, it is understood that this may make Chiswick the largest town in the UK without a branch by a significant margin. Immingham in Lincolnshire has been without a branch since June 2024 and it has a population of 11,000. Street in Somerset, which has a similar sized population, is set to lose its post office due to the closure of WH Smith. Chiswick’s population is over three times these towns.
The shop remains open but no postal services are available
Following the Chiswick closure, Cllr Rajawat a joint letter to Post Office Ltd with Hammersmith and Chiswick MP, Andy Slaughter.
The letter contained reference to the previous closure of Hounslow Post Office, as well as voicing deep concern about the impact these unannounced closures were having on residents.
It said, “As previously, this closure [in Chiswick] has taken place, with no prior warning to, or discussion with us, and at extremely short notice.
“Also – as previously – this does serious damage and causes upset to local communities who rely on the provision of these services.
“…We have very serious concerns about both these closures, the way in which the Post Office has carried them out, and how the Post Office is treating its customers and stakeholders.
“We are therefore calling once again for urgent talks to find a way to provide the proper support to the affected communities in Hounslow and Chiswick. As we have said before, we want to better understand the process and challenges and may also be able to provide the Post Office with insight or advice to help find a solution.”
Cllr Rajawat added, “One unannounced Post Office closure is an inconvenience. To close two looks like carelessness. Many residents in Chiswick and Hounslow rely on their local Post Office, and to close the branches without warning has left them with lots of questions and concerns about the future of the service.
“We went to great lengths to extend our support and inquire as to the reason for the Hounslow closure. We did not receive a satisfactory reply, and our offer of a meeting went unanswered. I now hope for a quick response to the issues we have raised, along with our two local MPs. Let’s work together on this and restore for residents the services on which they rely.”
Click here to sign the petition.
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