Outrage as Government Announces 1000's of Post Office Closures (Devon and Cornwall Liberal Democrats)

Devon and Cornwall Liberal Democrats <info@devon-cornwall-libdems.org.uk>

Outrage as Government Announces 1000's of Post Office Closures

December 12, 2006 11:11 AM

Colin Breed campaigning to keep local post offices open

Cornish MPs are furious over Government plans to close 1000s of post offices to save money. Between 2,500-3000 post offices, primarily in rural areas, face closure following the Department of Trade & Industry's decision that the current network is unsustainable.

Since the last Conservative government came into power in 1979, over 8000 post offices have closed across the UK, leaving just 14,000 - less than 65%. This figure continues to rise at an accelerated rate under the current Government.

1 in 10 post offices in Cornwall have already closed since 1999, and two thirds of these closures have taken place in rural areas. Cornwall's five Liberal Democrat MPs have been campaigning against further closures, submitting a petition to save local post offices, signed by almost 5000 Cornish residents, to Downing Street earlier this year. The MPs have also released a report, 'Catching the Last Post?', detailing the damage done by the Government's continuing failure to protect Cornwall's post office network.

Last month MP for Truro & St Austell, and Liberal Democrat Spokesman for Social Exclusion, Matthew Taylor, slammed the Deputy Prime Minister on post office closures and the future of the Post Office Card Account. Today (Monday) he commented:

"Despite the fact that 97% of Cornish customers visit their local Post Office at least once a week, and in spite of 98% of Cornish customers supporting continued Government subsidies to the rural network beyond the March 2008 deadline, under this Government more and more Cornish branches are closing!

"The majority of Cornwall's post offices are rural, and provide vital services to isolated communities. These post offices often contain the only shop or banking facilities for miles, and taking them away does nothing but make life harder for pensioners, carers, people with disabilities, young mothers, and others on benefits or with poor access to transport. Tackling social exclusion means helping these members of society, which means providing support to rural post offices.

"Having heard the news of these cuts I now understand precisely why the Deputy Prime Minister would not give me a straight answer on the future of the post office network!"

Colin Breed, MP for South East Cornwall, added:

"Aside from the numerous services that they provide, post offices often act as a social hub, and taking them away can rip out the heart of a local community. Cornish Sub-postmasters and Sub-postmistresses work incredibly hard at providing support and advice to their customers, and the Government repays them first by failing to safeguard the Post office Card account, one of their major sources of revenue, and now with the news that they may not survive altogether. This is unacceptable!"