Save our post offices

Hospitals under threat: schools facing rationalisation: now the latest vital service under threat is post offices.

The Labour Trade and Industry secretary, Alistair Darling, has announced that 2,500 post offices are likely to close because the network loses £4 million a week.

People running post offices in Cumbria say they are preparing for the worst.

If there are large scale closures of post offices, especially in rural areas, it will be bad news for the elderly and those without cars. It will also be deeply damaging for many villages - as one Cumbrian postmaster said that if the services which local post offices like his are withdrawn it would be a "crushing blow" to the village.

One reason for the persistent threat to post offices is that many of us can and do access so many more services through the internet and telephone. But this is not available to everyone. Hence there is a real social need for the post office service.

Comments

pat said…
Get your voice heard - the rural post office network - www.ruralaction.org.uk

Everyone has a view on the future of the rural post office network - but will everyone's views be heard? Perhaps you have a good idea on the future of the network; perhaps your own experience shows a vital aspect has been over-looked. Anyone with an interest can visit the blog and leave their comment on the consultation questions, and read what others are saying.

ruralnet|uk Chief Executive, Simon Berry said "Government consultations are all very well, but they are time consuming and complicated. Fine for the professionals but not for the people affected. It will take just a few moments for anyone to have their say in our collective consultation and their views will go straight to the government."

Visit www.ruralaction.org.uk, click any of the ‘Comment’ links and have your say. You can comment on as little or as much as you like. It is as simple and quick as that. There is no printing or sending to do.

At the end of the consultation period, ruralnet|uk undertakes to summarise objectively all the comments received, and feed them into the Government’s consultation procedure. Says Simon: "We were the first to use the internet to run a collective consultation on the ‘first’ rural white paper way back in the spring of 1999 when we received 1154 contributions. It was said to be "one of the most useful submissions received”. So we know that a collective view from rural people, presented by us will carry a lot of weight.

So, don't be left out: go to www.ruralaction.org.uk state your views and have an impact on the future of post office services in rural areas.
2:08 pm
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