In response to news that the Old Town Boots Pharmacy is set to close as part of the chain’s national store closure programme, Swindon Labour Party have set up a petition to give local residents a chance to make their opposition known.
Commenting in a joint statement, Old Town Councillor Jane Milner-Barry and Eastcott Councillor Marina Strinkovsky said:
“The closure of Boots Pharmacy on Wood Street would be a real hammer blow for Old Town. When Rowlands Pharmacy closed in the Newport Street Co-op earlier this year, we were worried about the pressure that would be put on other local pharmacies, and so the prospect of Boots now closing makes an already bad situation even worse.”
“We’re aware that in other parts of the country, Boots have changed their plans where there has been strong community opposition. We’ve therefore worked with our parliamentary candidate, Heidi Alexander, to get a petition set up so that Old Town and Eastcott residents can register their concerns. We’d encourage everyone to sign to make their views known. Heidi will collect signatures and will ensure Boots senior management are aware of the strength of local opinion.”
Heidi Alexander South Swindon Labour Party candidate added: “It’s really important we make Boots aware of local views. I have been very worried about the adequacy of local pharmacy services for some time and registered my concerns with local NHS managers earlier this summer. I will be getting in touch with them again given this recent news, as we definitely need to keep a pharmacy in the heart of Old Town.”
The petition can be found at: https://www.heidialexander.org.uk/bootsclosures
