Post Office Closure

Written by Kirsty Williams AM and published in County Times 4th April 2008 on Fri 11th Apr 2008

You will all be as familiar with the news that 14 local post offices across Powys have been earmarked for closure as you are with the iconic pillar box red and yellow of the post office sign. Our local post office is an essential social and economic hub of the community, not only a place to buy stamps and pick up your pension but a place to catch up with neighbours and friends. But with the Labour Government's decision last year to close one in every 5 branches our traditional Post Office and all that it represents is fast becoming a rarity.

The affront on our Post Offices has been underway since the 1980's. Between 1979 and 1997 3,500 branches closed under a Conservative Government to which David Cameron was advisor. After Labour came to power in 1997 they continued the trend by overseeing the closure of a further 4000 post offices. In January last year this disregard for our post offices was confirmed when senior frontbench Tory MP Hugo Swire said that people should stop being "romantic" about Post Offices and either "use it or lose it".

By getting rid of services such as TV licences and the card account and threatening to get rid of vehicle excise duty and passport authentication the Labour Government has been chipping away from within at this cornerstone of our communities. In 2005-06 the Labour Government removed £168million of business from the Post Office network. In that same year the Post Office ran an operating deficiency of £111million. By removing Government custom, Labour's erosion of services has turned a potential profit of over £50m into a deficit of double that. By sucking the life out of our invaluable network and removing the services people need we have been denied the chance to 'use it or loose it'. Rather than sealing the nail in the coffin the Government must increase the viability of post office network by providing a combination of commercial services, benefits transactions and government information. Initiatives such as the successful use of post offices as Police Information Points must be built on and expanded.

Powys has seen one of the most vocal 'Save our Post Offices' campaigns in the country. Last year Roger Williams MP took 2000 named petitions and more than 200 of our alternative consultation responses to the Minister in Westminster. Since the closures were announced, along with Lib Dem Powys County Councillors and Lib Dem Campaigners, he presented over 2000 campaign post cards to 10 Downing Street. The campaign continues with public meetings in all the affected communities and a local working group being set up in Gladestry. Such a forceful campaign is all thanks to the united help and support of so many people from across the constituency and we continue our fight together. I would encourage everyone to join the Save our Post offices campaign by adding their voice to the Post Office Ltds public consultation on the announced closures in our area.

Please send your input by 19th May 2008, marking it confidential if necessary, to: Steve Geraty, Network Development Manager, C/o National Consultation Team, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM; or email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk