Local Liberal Democrats demand the Government come clean over their post office hit list

3.21.40pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 26th Apr 2007

Annette Brooke presented a petition to Parliament from over 3000 local residents concerned about post office closures

Ahead of the local elections next Thursday [3 May 2007], Liberal Democrats in Mid Dorset and North Poole are asking, "Will the Government publish their post offices hit list?"

The Government's consultation has finished and a list has been compiled of post offices threatened with closure. The Government were supposed to respond to their consultation by the end of March, but have shelved their response until after the local elections.

Liberal Democrats in Mid Dorset and North Poole have been campaigning to save local post offices from closure. Local MP Annette Brooke recently presented a petition of over 3000 signatures to Parliament from local residents concerned about potential post office closures in the constituency.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party to have a plan to save the post office. The Liberal Democrat five-point plan would see:

£2 billion invested in post office branches;

New branches opening where needed;

Government services continuing to be available at the Post Office;

The Post Office freed from Royal Mail restrictions to let it develop new business;

A new legal requirement for the Government to maintain the local Post Office network.

10% of post offices have closed in Mid Dorset and North Poole between 1999 and 2006. Under the Governments plans an average of three to four more post offices per constituency will close, but no definite figures can be known until the Government publish their hit list.

Local Liberal Democrat MP Annette Brooke said:

"The Government should publish their post office hit list before the local elections on May 3rd.

"This is the last chance people in Mid Dorset and North Poole will have to tell the Government what they think of their plans to close at least 2,500 post offices across the country.

"We do not know what post offices in Mid Dorset and North Poole are under threat as the Government has not published their post office hit list.

"Local people should have the chance to voice their concerns over the Government's closure programme."

 Annette Brooke added:

"The Conservative party are no better. Under their watch they let 3,500 post offices close and 10 years later they still don't have a plan to stop more local post offices closing.

"Between them, Labour and the Conservatives will soon have closed at least 10,000 post offices.

"We are the only party that has a plan to stop the post office closures and bring new business to the post office and services to local communities."