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Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
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The fight against Post office closures
June 5, 2008 12:00 AM
By Peter Black in Glamorgan Gazette
By Peter Black in Glamorgan Gazette
The news that a further seven Post Offices are to close in the Bridgend area is a devastating blow for the communities affected. This is especially so given the earlier closure of branches a few years ago under the Labour Government's last scheme.
In all 4,000 Post Offices have been closed by Labour across the United Kingdom since 1997, 150 of them in Wales. This latest reorganisation will see the loss of another 2,500 branches. The Conservatives have been no better. They closed 3,500 Post Offices prior to 1997.
While it is true that many branches are making a loss and need to be subsidised, the Post Office is more than a business, it is a community resource. As such it should be treated differently to other businesses.
Research for Postwatch in 2004 showed that three quarters of those surveyed felt their local office was 'extremely important'; over half thought it was 'essential to their way of life'; almost all agreed that post office plays an 'important role in their local community' and over a quarter found it difficult to get to another post office when their local one closed. These figures increased among the elderly or those with disabilities affecting their mobility.
The Government claim to be working to prevent closures where possible, however, one of the key factors in the decline of Post Offices is the removal of Government business from them. In 2006/07 the value of services withdrawn by the government equalled £168 million whilst Post Offices made an operating loss of £111 million.
There are further threats to our Post Offices on the horizon. Those in the business are warning that if they do not win the contract for the new Post Office Card Account then another 4,000 branches may close. This is not a pleasant prospect.
The Liberal Democrats have a plan that would raise £2 billion by selling off a 49% stake in the Royal Mail and using the money to invest in the Post Office network, making it more sustainable by enabling Post Masters to diversify their business and increase footfall. We believe that the Government needs to find ways to prevent the devastation to local communities that their closure plans are bringing.
In the meantime we will be at the forefront of the campaign to fight these latest closures. We cannot afford to see more communities deprived of such an essential service.
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