- Cymraeg
- English
 |
Peter Black and South Wales West Liberal DemocratsRepresenting Aberavon, Bridgend, Gower, Neath, Ogmore, Port Talbot, and Swansea |
 |
The fight for the Post Office
August 16, 2008 12:00 AM
By Peter Black in Seaside News September 2008
By Peter Black in Seaside News September 2008
Confirmation that a seven more 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 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 at a time when the Post Office was making a profit. The Post Office though, is more than a business, it is a community resource.
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 In 2006/07 the value of services withdrawn by the government equalled £168 million whilst Post Offices made an operating loss of £111 million.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.
What would you like to do next?
-
Subscribe for updates
Follow the party's activity on...
- Twitter:
- Liberal Democrats
- Facebook:
- Liberal Democrats
- YouTube:
- Liberal Democrats