Labour's plans threaten more post office closures (Southampton Liberal Democrats)

Southampton Liberal Democrats <info@southampton-libdems.org.uk>

Labour's plans threaten more post office closures

April 19, 2006 8:34 PM

Local campaigner - Keith Reed outside the closed Bitterne Park triangle Post Office

Last year saw an increase in the level of Post Office closures under the Governments so called "Post Office Urban Network Reinvention Programme" and new government measures are sure to increase this level still further. In Southampton the hardest hit city ward was Peartree with three Post Office closures in that ward alone at Merry Oak, Spring Road, and Station Road. This is not to mention the closure of Post Offices at Bitterne Park triangle, Wide Lane, Upper Shirley, Shirley Road, Park Road and Wimpson Lane all last year.

And this is only one years work by the Labour government on "reinventing" our urban Post Office network, under new government plans the network faces further threats to its existence:-

the Post Office Card Account (POCA) is to be phased out by the Government by 2010, causing a loss of income to branches and a loss of trade from pensioners and benefit recipients who will be forced to collect their money through bank accounts.
from March, rural branches are no longer protected from "avoidable closure" - (avoidable closure is when there are other businesses or premises in a community that are willing or available to operate a branch. Under the policy, the Post Office was required to search for a new postmaster/mistress to run a branch and only to close the branch if no one could be found to operate it.)
plus the Government have failed to announce whether or not the subsidy to rural branches will be renewed once it comes to an end in 2008.

In contrast to this the Liberal Democrats have policies to provide a real alternative and bright future for the Post Office Network, this includes :-

£2 billion to invest in Post Office branches
Open new branches where there is need
Retain Post Office Card Accounts for benefit payments
Free the Post Office from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business
New legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

Successive Conservative and Labour governments have closed large numbers of Post Offices only the Liberal Democrats have a viable alternative to improve this vital network.