Government Fails to Listen

3.51.23pm BST (GMT +0100) Fri 18th May 2007

More Post Offices to be closed!

Liberal Democrats in Winchester have hit out at the plan to close at least 2,500 post offices across the country.

Winchester Liberal Democrats have been campaigning against post office closures in the Winchester district and are today stepping up the fight against the Government's plans.

The Government have not published the list of post offices to be closed, but with one in five post offices nationwide set to shut it is unlikely that Winchester will escape.

Local Lib Dem MP, Mark Oaten, said,

"It is outrageous that the Government have ignored the concerns of local people and are continuing with their plan to close at least 2,500 post offices. That means we could lose yet more post offices across the Winchester area.

"Along with many local people, I have been campaigning against the Government's post office closure plans and will now be stepping up the fight once again.

"8 post offices have closed in the Winchester constituency since 1999. We cannot afford see more of these valuable local resources closed.

Winchester Liberal Democrat campaigner, Martin Tod added:

"We've lost over 4,000 post offices under the current Government. That's even more than the 3,500 we lost under the previous Conservative government!

"The Labour Government just aren't listening. They seem to have given up on the post office and don't appear to understand the role that post offices have in local communities. They've ignored the results of the consultation on rural post offices. I'm sure they will try to ignore local people's opposition to the proposal to move the Crown Post Office into Smith's as well.

"One problem is the number of services that the Government has taken out of the Post Office. Although there may be things that we could do locally to help. I'd like to see the City Council and County Council investigate making more of their services available through local post offices as a way of keeping more post offices open."