Oxfordshire Post Office duo set leaving date after rent spat

Rana and Swarn Lally, who run the Woodstock Post Office – which is also a community shop – have said they will not renew their lease in 2028 after an argument with the council about the Park Street property.

The pair are popular figures within the community and have been running the Post Office for more than two decades.

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The dispute came about earlier this month when Woodstock Town Council reportedly attempted to significantly hike the rent for the post office building which it owns, although the council has denied this.

A petition was organised against the move which said: “Our Post Office is a valued local service that provides essential facilities for residents, businesses and visitors.”

Woodstock (Image: Cotswolds)

It was signed by over 230 people and handed to the town council.

By this time an Extraordinary Town Council Meeting had been held on Tuesday, June 16 which was controversially kept confidential.

After it a new deal was agreed with Mr and Mrs Lally by which the Post Office shop and the flat above would be separated into two distinct units.

The former will be retained by Mr and Mrs Lally, with a £2,000 increase to £13,000 per annum, while the latter will be rented out to a different party.

Mr Lally said: “I am quite happy with the deal.”

However, on the council’s conduct he was less than satisfied.

Rana Lally of Woodstock Post Office (Image: Tim Hughes)

“The way they have gone about this,” he said. “I do not want to be their tenants anymore and I will not renew the lease in this property”.

The 68-year-old added: “Nobody from the council informed me about what was going on. All I got was emails from the estate agent.

“A few nights we had no sleep.”

When the immediate future of the Post Office was in doubt, multiple members of the community spoke out about the potential “tragedy”.

Lady Marie Stubbs said it would be “disastrous”.

She said: “It is a significant part of Woodstock and the people who run it are wonderful.

“It’s important; it’s accessible to elderly people, you can get your currency there before you go away.

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“It meets the needs of a huge number of people. It would be a tragedy if it were to go.”

A local businesswoman added: “Everyone knows the couple and it would be a huge loss to the town.

“People who come to Blenheim use it; it’s a big part of what keeps the town vibrant.”

Speaking about the reaction of the community, Mr Lally thanked local people and said it was “absolutely brilliant”.