Post Office Closure Consultations Are A Sham

12.38.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 4th Oct 2007

Many communities are concerned about the future of their local Post Office after the closure of a consultation that Lib Dem PPC Nigel Rock has described as a "sham".

The Government have decided to use a 3 mile radius in rural areas and a 1 mile radius in towns to decide which to close. The comments of many Councillors and some Councils were not even registered. Local government leaders are now telling Post Office management that communities must be properly consulted over plans to close individual offices around the country. At the same time the Local Government Association (LGA) has repeated its view that many of the offices facing closure could be saved with help from councils.

What does this mean for Warwickshire?

Nigel Rock said "I am working with colleagues at the moment to try and understand which Post Offices they will target locally. This is a complex analysis, but already it seems the simplistic rule that just takes into account travelling distance will make many of our local Post Offices vulnerable."

Some idea of what might happen can be gained from the experience elsewhere. In the first of a series 36 announcements to be made in the coming months the Post Office has given details of the first wave of proposed closures which could see 58 branches in Kent, 45 in East Yorkshire and 77 in the East Midlands being axed. Before any final decisions are made there will be a six-week public consultation in each of the affected areas but it is anticipated that the majority of the offices named will close.

The LGA's call for greater consultation came after it wrote to Alan Cook, the Managing Director of the Post Office, to highlight concerns raised by a number of councils that the company was failing to share information with them on closure plans in advance of the six week period. In the letter the LGA has asked for more information on the anticipated impact of closures on local economies, future population growth around offices earmarked for closure, the availability of transport to the nearest branch and what steps will be taken to protect vulnerable people from the affects of closures.

Nigel Rock PPC said "I support the LGA's concerns, but what we really need is the Prime Minister to reverse this crazy decision to rip the heart out of communities by closing local post offices that are a lifeline to so many people. If elected as MP I will be sending this message clearly to whoever is the Government of the day."

(Includes information obtained from PublicNet briefing)