Quote of the day from Post Offices Minister Pat McFadden on Post Office closures:
"In most of the local closure plans so far about 99% of people will either see no change to their current post office or will still be within a mile of one by road."
He obviously hasn’t listened to a word that has been said by protestors up and down the country, the huge impact it will have on communities.
I fear that closures will be inevitable and this government does not care how it will affect neighbourhoods by axing yet another vital amenity. I am waiting to hear if my Post Office is on the hit list, and I know there are dozens of pensioners in my village without a car who will not be able to get to the next village a couple of miles away. The government is making sweeping assumptions to justify its case.
While I applaud the actions of Essex County Council in throwing a lifeline to 15 of its threatened post offices – and well done to its leader, Lord Hanningfield, for highlighting this on his blog – I wonder if our Regional Assemblies could not lend a helping hand. They surely want to encourage – and facilitate – healthy regional economies and this cannot be achieved by axing essential local services. It must surely be in their interest to improve facilities, not reduce them.
Julian Sturdy is one of many Conservatives who has been campaigning against post office closures. Let’s hope Tories can today win a vote against the government on axing the 2,500 post offices under threat. Even 90 Labour MPs are said to be against it, including seven Cabinet ministers – did you note that, Pat McFadden? And when did you last visit your local P.O.?
Shouldn’t they be franchised like MacDonalds?
We’ve had two closures here recently and other local businesses have been fighting over the rights to have a ‘mini post office’ within their shop!
The Tories started all this, Ellee!
We have morons like this over here in the USA as well, much to my personal regret. Stamp machines have been removed from lobbies and one machine weighs and dispenses postage with a debit or credit card. This of course, will replace substantially all postal workers within 14 years. What a shame for those who have no transportation. But of course, even here the spin is “we’re getting leaner and more efficient”. To which I respond: “No you aren’t, you idiots! You’re inconveniencing thousands of people and you have no conscience”. They don’t care, Ellee. That’s the issue!
I know a few retired people who’ve moved away from family to remote villages late in life. Not a wise thing to do nowadays. You really need somewhere with a substantial community and facilities to be sure that you don’t end up cut off.
Unless a privatised operation makes megga-bucks forget it, public services devolved of government don’t remain public services for long.
I don’t think anyone believes that ministerial statement.
Besides that, those in the rural areas will be miles away from one.
The hypocrisy is though Ellee that under the last tory government over 3,500 Post Offices were closed.
It is very easy for Tories to campaign to save post offices now, but where were they all before 1997 ?
Welshcakes and Nich, I certainly wasn’t for it before Post Office closures before, and I’m not now, regardless of political colours.