1st August 2008
LABOUR CANDIDATE’S INSTINCT TO FIGHT POST OFFICE CLOSURES
Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Clwyd West, Donna Hutton, has expressed her dismay that five Post Offices have been earmarked for closure in her constituency alone.
“We have had to wait a long time for Post Offices Ltd to issue their consultation paper on closures in North Wales,” said Mrs Hutton. “We all expected unwelcome news, but this is a very heavy toll”.
“I think we all put a very high value on Post Offices as an integral part of – and very often the focal point for – local communities. I am truly shocked that Clwyd West constituency is due to lose five Post Offices, one in Colwyn Bay, two in Ruthin and two in Rhos-on-Sea”.
Mrs Hutton continued by saying that her instinct is that Post Office closures should be resisted, as another part of the erosion of our way of life. “But to mount any effective defence we will have to try to be as objective as possible. I have already been in touch with some of the Post Masters/Mistresses and hope to speak to the others this week. We are undertaking consultations with local people and special interest groups in each area, and it would really help if anyone who has any views on the subject will get in touch.
Announcing their North Wales public consultation last Wednesday, Post Office Ltd. said people are just not using Post Offices as much these days, so they cannot afford to keep them all open. The Government is to invest up to £1.7billion to support the slimmed-down Post Office network in the future and has promised subsidies of £150million a year.
Mrs Hutton said she would particularly like to hear views on the need for closure. “If any business is healthy, why is ‘efficiency’ served by closure?”, she asked. “And as Post Offices Ltd claims all but 1.5% of customers will be able to use an alternative within a mile, we need to know the alternatives really are going to work. And what about that 1.5% who presumably will have no facilities? We can’t just abandon them!” she concluded.
ENDS.
SUBMITTING YOUR VIEWS
The deadline for submissions is 15th September 2008.
The consultation paper can be read (go right to its bottom for our area!) by clicking here.
Please either e-mail your views to me (see "Contact Me" page), or send them direct to:
- Steve Geraty
- Network Development Manager
- C/o National Consultation Team
- FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM
- Email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk
- Customer Helpline: 08457 22 33 44