Post office managers in Redditch are fearing for their future after the Government announced massive cuts throughout the UK - reports the Redditch Advertiser.
About 2,500 post offices are expected to go by the end of 2008 as part of plans to slim down the network.
Shops in Greenlands and Astwood Bank are among those that would be forced to close if the post office businesses were taken away.
Sub postmaster Richard Pinder, from Greenlands convenience store and post office, has worked at the shop for 40 years.
"My business is fine but if I lost the post office side it would no longer be viable," he said.
He blamed Government departments which have withdrawn many of the services, such as the television licensing and utility payments facility.
Mr Pinder added: "We have even had to accept a payment cut in our fees from 11p per transaction to 7p."
Julian Wilson, from Astwood Bank Post Office, said: "My shop would have to close. It runs at a loss on its own because I cannot buy goods any lower than you can get at the supermarket. But if I'm forced to shut it will be a loss to my customers, especially the elderly."
Redditch MP Jacqui Smith said: "My top priority is to maintain a national network of post offices so I'm pleased the Government is already committed to providing up to £1.7 billion to 2011 to support the network. Without that 10,000 offices would close."
She added that following an announcement in June naming the specific post offices to go, she will be doing her bit as a local MP to ensure the consultation period which follows is thorough and well informed.
It's not surprising that the best Jacqui Smith can offer is to ensure that local people will be 'well informed' when local post office closures are announced.
The £1.7bn subsidy for post offices she trumpets is a drop in the ocean compared to the £7bn extra Ms Smith intends to approve paying the EU between now and 2013, when she votes on the European Communities (Finance) Bill.
This huge award is particulary unjustified given EU auditors have for thirteen years now been unable to explain how the "majority" of the EU's budget is being spent.
If Ms Smith was really interested in standing up for local services, she wouldn't shrug off post office closures caused by insufficient subsidies, while quietly signing away billions of pounds extra to an organisation like the EU with a terrible record for waste, corruption and mismanagement.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment