Post Office bosses and the government came under fire last night as it emerged a third of pensioners in Norfolk and West Suffolk are set to be left without their local branch - reports the Eastern Daily Press.
An estimated 82,200 elderly people in the area will be affected, forcing them to travel further to a post office.
Fifty post office branches are set to shut as part of controversial nationwide cuts to the network, caused by the government's refusal to increase subsidies for loss-making branches.
The government's stance over funding of post offices is in stark contrast to Gordon Brown's approval of the European Union budget deal, which increased our payments to the EU by an astonishing 63% to £115m (net) every single week between now and 2013 - putting the £150m annual subsidy for post offices in the shade.
Approval was given despite the EU's accounts not having been given a clean bill of health by auditors for the past thirteen years, and the organisation's terrible repuation for waste and fraud.
Help the Aged yesterday criticised the closure plan and accused the Post Office of ignoring the older population.
Pensioners are a primary customer base for post offices, with thousands collecting pensions from them each week.
Dr Alan Burnett, the charity's senior policy officer, said: “When you have a mobility problem or difficulty getting around, a journey extended by only half a mile is not a simple matter of a little more exercise - it is almost a complete removal of the service.
“Older people in Norfolk and West Suffolk are contacting us to say they feel ignored by the consultation process. It's beginning to seem as if the Post Office is merely paying lip service to government consultation regulations and not really listening to the valuable local information being given to them.
“If older people are not listened to, and their needs are not taken into account, the consequences for many will be extremely serious.”
So far, 970 branches have shut across the country, out of the 2,500 earmarked for closure. Less than 4% have been saved, despite numerous campaigns.
On a national scale, millions of pensioners are struggling with simple day-to-day tasks as a result of the ongoing closures, and Help the Aged claim that 2.3 million people will need to travel at least half a mile further afield to find a replacement post office.
Last night, two of the counties' MPs spoke angrily of the impact the scheme was set to have on their constituents, branding the consultation “farcical”.
Richard Spring, MP for West Suffolk, said: "We always said the post office closures would hit the most vulnerable, most particularly in rural areas. They are part of village life.
"We've been through a farcical consultation. They have decided in a completely arbitrary way without any consideration. The figures are shocking, but I'm not surprised.
"I'm grateful to Help the Aged for highlighting the impact. It only fortifies the view I had.”
Christopher Fraser, MP for South-West Norfolk, said: “The figures are simply appalling. The government's decision to cut funding for the sub-post office network is a cynical, cost-cutting policy that will prove devastating to those living in the countryside.”
Showing posts with label post offices. Show all posts
Showing posts with label post offices. Show all posts
Wednesday, 23 July 2008
Tuesday, 19 February 2008
Post offices disappear from London
Royal Mail is facing a legal challenge over its plans to shut 169 post offices in London, the Evening Standard reports today.
The branches, which amount to a fifth of the network, face the axe under a fast-track closure programme.
The proposals provoked protest from all the main political parties, with one MP saying it was a "kick in the teeth" for Londoners.
The capital has already lost more than 300 post offices in four years, with numbers cut from 1,175 to 849. Royal Mail says more branches must go to stem losses of £3 million a week.
However, the shortfall of £3 million a week causing these cuts pales almost into insignificant compared to the £115 million a week (net) subsidy the Government is lavishing on the wasteful EU.
How is this justified, when countless post offices are closing due to a fraction of this amount, yet auditors haven't been able to confirm how the EU is spending the billions it has been given every year for the last 13 years running?
Certainly no MP who recently voted to boost our payments to the EU by an astonishing 63% can claim to be 'standing up' for any post offices facing closure, without leaving themselves open to charges of utter hypocrisy.
The cutbacks come despite new figures showing London has just one branch for every 8,460 people - compared to the national average of one branch for 3,860.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the consultation should be extended to 12 weeks, adding: "London's post offices provide vital support for those who are most in need, particularly the elderly, disabled and those with young children. For many Londoners who do not have a bank account, the post office is an amenity they cannot do without."
Labour MP Kate Hoey said: "Londoners will be angry and frustrated at the sham nature of this consultation. The Post Office has already made up its mind. This is a body blow to communities across London, particularly the most vulnerable in the city."
The Conservative shadow minister for London, Bob Neill, said the closures would reduce the network to a shell.
"Labour are putting swathes of the London post office network under threat and putting people's livelihoods on the line yet they won't reveal the extent of post office closures until after the election," he said.
Liberal Democrat business spokesman Sarah Teather said: "Today's announcement is a kick in the teeth for Londoners. We already have a second-class service with half as many post offices per head as the rest of the UK. It is no wonder we have to queue so long to post a parcel."
Royal Mail said the vast majority of Londoners would still live within one mile by road of the nearest branch, and claim that nearly 90 per cent of the capital's population would see no change in their nearest branch.
Anita Turner, Post Office Ltd's network development manager for London, said: "Taking the decision to close any post office branch is always very difficult and we know it will cause concern to many of our customers.
"Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access criteria set by the Government."
Those wishing to register their views should contact http://www.postoffice.co.uk/networkchange or write to Post Office Ltd at Freepost Consultation (no stamp required) or email consultation@postoffice.co.uk
The branches, which amount to a fifth of the network, face the axe under a fast-track closure programme.
The proposals provoked protest from all the main political parties, with one MP saying it was a "kick in the teeth" for Londoners.
The capital has already lost more than 300 post offices in four years, with numbers cut from 1,175 to 849. Royal Mail says more branches must go to stem losses of £3 million a week.
However, the shortfall of £3 million a week causing these cuts pales almost into insignificant compared to the £115 million a week (net) subsidy the Government is lavishing on the wasteful EU.
How is this justified, when countless post offices are closing due to a fraction of this amount, yet auditors haven't been able to confirm how the EU is spending the billions it has been given every year for the last 13 years running?
Certainly no MP who recently voted to boost our payments to the EU by an astonishing 63% can claim to be 'standing up' for any post offices facing closure, without leaving themselves open to charges of utter hypocrisy.
The cutbacks come despite new figures showing London has just one branch for every 8,460 people - compared to the national average of one branch for 3,860.
London Mayor Ken Livingstone said the consultation should be extended to 12 weeks, adding: "London's post offices provide vital support for those who are most in need, particularly the elderly, disabled and those with young children. For many Londoners who do not have a bank account, the post office is an amenity they cannot do without."
Labour MP Kate Hoey said: "Londoners will be angry and frustrated at the sham nature of this consultation. The Post Office has already made up its mind. This is a body blow to communities across London, particularly the most vulnerable in the city."
The Conservative shadow minister for London, Bob Neill, said the closures would reduce the network to a shell.
"Labour are putting swathes of the London post office network under threat and putting people's livelihoods on the line yet they won't reveal the extent of post office closures until after the election," he said.
Liberal Democrat business spokesman Sarah Teather said: "Today's announcement is a kick in the teeth for Londoners. We already have a second-class service with half as many post offices per head as the rest of the UK. It is no wonder we have to queue so long to post a parcel."
Royal Mail said the vast majority of Londoners would still live within one mile by road of the nearest branch, and claim that nearly 90 per cent of the capital's population would see no change in their nearest branch.
Anita Turner, Post Office Ltd's network development manager for London, said: "Taking the decision to close any post office branch is always very difficult and we know it will cause concern to many of our customers.
"Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access criteria set by the Government."
Those wishing to register their views should contact http://www.postoffice.co.uk/networkchange or write to Post Office Ltd at Freepost Consultation (no stamp required) or email consultation@postoffice.co.uk
Wednesday, 14 November 2007
Blackpool: Campaign to save post offices
Campaigners were out in force in the Fylde at the weekend amid fears rural post offices in the borough could be shut down, according to the Blackpool Citizen.
Government plans could see up to 2,500 rural post offices closed across the country, with the full list due to be announced in January.
Fylde borough currently has 24 post offices open, but eight have been closed since 1999.
Campaigners took to the streets of St Annes over the weekend, and were collecting signatures to fight any proposed closures.
Post office campaigner, Coun Cheryl Little, who represents the Fairhaven ward, said: "We had a remarkable day with much support from the people of St Annes and the sub post master at Wood Street.
"I strongly feel that post offices are a vital lifeline in many people's day to day lives and shutting them does not make sense."
Post Office Ltd managing director, Alan Cook, said: "Taking the decision to close any post office branch is always very difficult and we know will cause concern to many of our customers.
Government plans could see up to 2,500 rural post offices closed across the country, with the full list due to be announced in January.
Fylde borough currently has 24 post offices open, but eight have been closed since 1999.
Campaigners took to the streets of St Annes over the weekend, and were collecting signatures to fight any proposed closures.
Post office campaigner, Coun Cheryl Little, who represents the Fairhaven ward, said: "We had a remarkable day with much support from the people of St Annes and the sub post master at Wood Street.
"I strongly feel that post offices are a vital lifeline in many people's day to day lives and shutting them does not make sense."
Post Office Ltd managing director, Alan Cook, said: "Taking the decision to close any post office branch is always very difficult and we know will cause concern to many of our customers.
Tuesday, 6 November 2007
North West: 65 post offices to close
Post Office bosses have unveiled plans to axe 65 branches in parts of the North West - reports the Manchester Evening News.
A six-week consultation will now be held before a final decision is taken to axe the branches in Merseyside, the Wirral, Cheshire, Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield.
Some 371 post offices are set to remain open in the area and new outreach services - where post office services are operated from pubs or village shops - will be created in Malpas, Crewe and Tarporley.
Post Offices bosses insist that more than 99% of people in the affected area will see no change to their service or be within one mile of another branch.
Jane Briginshaw, Post Office Ltd's network development manager for the North West, said: "Taking the decision to close any Post Office branch is always very difficult and we know will cause concern to many of our customers.
"Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access set by the Government."
Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley said: "It is deplorable that this government, which was elected on a devolution platform, is now sounding the death knell to local communities throughout Liverpool.
"Post offices are a crucial public service and once again Labour is forcing through cuts."
Post Office branches in the following parliamentary constituencies are included in this area plan: Altrincham and Sale West, Birkenhead, Bootle, City of Chester, Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, Crosby, Eddisbury, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Halton, Knowsley North and Sefton East, Knowsley South, Leigh, Liverpool Garston, Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree, Liverpool West, Derby, Makerfield, St Helens North, St Helens South, Tatton, Wallasey, Warrington North, Warrington South, Weaver Vale, Wigan, Wirral South and Wirral West.
A six-week consultation will now be held before a final decision is taken to axe the branches in Merseyside, the Wirral, Cheshire, Wigan, Leigh and Makerfield.
Some 371 post offices are set to remain open in the area and new outreach services - where post office services are operated from pubs or village shops - will be created in Malpas, Crewe and Tarporley.
Post Offices bosses insist that more than 99% of people in the affected area will see no change to their service or be within one mile of another branch.
Jane Briginshaw, Post Office Ltd's network development manager for the North West, said: "Taking the decision to close any Post Office branch is always very difficult and we know will cause concern to many of our customers.
"Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the minimum access set by the Government."
Liverpool City Council leader Warren Bradley said: "It is deplorable that this government, which was elected on a devolution platform, is now sounding the death knell to local communities throughout Liverpool.
"Post offices are a crucial public service and once again Labour is forcing through cuts."
Post Office branches in the following parliamentary constituencies are included in this area plan: Altrincham and Sale West, Birkenhead, Bootle, City of Chester, Congleton, Crewe and Nantwich, Crosby, Eddisbury, Ellesmere Port and Neston, Halton, Knowsley North and Sefton East, Knowsley South, Leigh, Liverpool Garston, Liverpool Riverside, Liverpool Walton, Liverpool Wavertree, Liverpool West, Derby, Makerfield, St Helens North, St Helens South, Tatton, Wallasey, Warrington North, Warrington South, Weaver Vale, Wigan, Wirral South and Wirral West.
Tuesday, 2 October 2007
Cleethorpes: Fifteen post offices face axe
Government plans to shut 15 post offices in the Grimsby area have been leaked prior to today's official announcement - reports the Grimsby Telegraph.
The secret list of proposed closures contains two branches in central Grimsby, as well as more in Louth and other rural areas.
The move is part of a national plan which will see about 2,500 post offices across the UK close by 2009 due to cutbacks in subsidies for loss-making offices from central government.
In all, 12 in the Grimsby area may shut completely and three would operate with drastically reduced hours.
Those proposed for closure are: Lambert Road, Grimsby; Humberstone Road, Grimsby ; Haborough; Newmarket, Louth; Brackenborough Road, Louth; Chapel Lane, Ashby-cum-Fenby; Brocklesby; Grimoldby; Fleetgate, Barton; Golf Road, Mablethorpe; West Rasen; South Somercotes.
Branches in Maltby-le-Marsh, North Kelsey and Tealby would continue to operate through an outreach service for 8 hours, 13 hours and 2 hours a week respectively.
The proposals will go out to public consultation over the next six weeks.
For people like 81-year-old Margaret Franklin, whose local branch in Newmarket is one of 15 the Government plans to shut down, the announcement is bad news.
She said: "I use this branch to check my pension, pay bills and post letters. It provides a vital service.
"There are usually great long queues here. A lot of people use it.
"I shall be very, very annoyed. It's a long walk to another post office."
Reacting to the news, Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell urged affected residents to make their views known in the consultation.
He said: "This process of closing our post offices needs to be resisted because post offices are a very important local service.
"Residents in Grimsby should get involved in the consultation process.
"It is essential that their views are heard, as I believe this is an undesirable tactic."
Martin Vickers, the Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate for Cleethorpes, said: "It's a dramatic reduction on what is a vital public service for market towns and rural communities brought about, to a great extent, by the Government policy of removing services, such as the ability to buy a TV licence from local post offices.
"I think the Government has already made its mind up, but having said that we must fight this every step of the way."
Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac needs to explain why she thinks it's more important to reward the wasteful and audit-failing European Union with a massive extra £7 billion by approving the EU budget deal, while post offices in her constituency are closing due to the inability of central government to afford sufficient subsidies.
Such blatant irresponsibility with scarce public funds is not something that local voters are likely to take very kindly to, come the next election.
The secret list of proposed closures contains two branches in central Grimsby, as well as more in Louth and other rural areas.
The move is part of a national plan which will see about 2,500 post offices across the UK close by 2009 due to cutbacks in subsidies for loss-making offices from central government.
In all, 12 in the Grimsby area may shut completely and three would operate with drastically reduced hours.
Those proposed for closure are: Lambert Road, Grimsby; Humberstone Road, Grimsby ; Haborough; Newmarket, Louth; Brackenborough Road, Louth; Chapel Lane, Ashby-cum-Fenby; Brocklesby; Grimoldby; Fleetgate, Barton; Golf Road, Mablethorpe; West Rasen; South Somercotes.
Branches in Maltby-le-Marsh, North Kelsey and Tealby would continue to operate through an outreach service for 8 hours, 13 hours and 2 hours a week respectively.
The proposals will go out to public consultation over the next six weeks.
For people like 81-year-old Margaret Franklin, whose local branch in Newmarket is one of 15 the Government plans to shut down, the announcement is bad news.
She said: "I use this branch to check my pension, pay bills and post letters. It provides a vital service.
"There are usually great long queues here. A lot of people use it.
"I shall be very, very annoyed. It's a long walk to another post office."
Reacting to the news, Grimsby MP Austin Mitchell urged affected residents to make their views known in the consultation.
He said: "This process of closing our post offices needs to be resisted because post offices are a very important local service.
"Residents in Grimsby should get involved in the consultation process.
"It is essential that their views are heard, as I believe this is an undesirable tactic."
Martin Vickers, the Conservative Party's parliamentary candidate for Cleethorpes, said: "It's a dramatic reduction on what is a vital public service for market towns and rural communities brought about, to a great extent, by the Government policy of removing services, such as the ability to buy a TV licence from local post offices.
"I think the Government has already made its mind up, but having said that we must fight this every step of the way."
Cleethorpes MP Shona McIsaac needs to explain why she thinks it's more important to reward the wasteful and audit-failing European Union with a massive extra £7 billion by approving the EU budget deal, while post offices in her constituency are closing due to the inability of central government to afford sufficient subsidies.
Such blatant irresponsibility with scarce public funds is not something that local voters are likely to take very kindly to, come the next election.
At-risk Post Office outlets named
The Post Office has announced the first 180 branches earmarked for closure under government plans to shut 2,500 by the end of next year - reports the BBC.
The first closures are planned for post offices in Kent, East Yorks and the East Midlands and a six week consultation period has begun.
The government says cuts are needed as the current 14,000-strong network has been losing £4m a week.
However, the cuts are actually needed because the government is unwilling or unable to maintain subsidies to loss-making offices, on the basis of their service to the community - often its most vulernable members.
However they do appear willing and able to increase payments to the audit-failing EU's budget by 63% - many billions more a year than subsidising loss-making post offices would cost.
Consumer watchdog Postwatch said that the closures were bad news, but it accepted the government spin that the current network was "unsustainable" (without further subsidy).
The government decided in December that 2,500 closures were required and said at the time that it wanted to help the Post Office modernise, restore profitability in its main offices, invest in new products and look at innovative ways to deliver services.
On Tuesday, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said it would provide funding of "up to £1.7bn until 2011 to continue to support the network" and to enable the Post Office "to modernise and rationalise".
However the government has recently agreed to gift the EU far more - an extra £2.5bn every single year, despite 12 years of the EU failing its audit. Is this a demonstration of the right priorities?
MPs who vote to approve the obvious waste of the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament in the next session will be to blame for these consequent shortfalls in funding for essential public services.
The first closures are planned for post offices in Kent, East Yorks and the East Midlands and a six week consultation period has begun.
The government says cuts are needed as the current 14,000-strong network has been losing £4m a week.
However, the cuts are actually needed because the government is unwilling or unable to maintain subsidies to loss-making offices, on the basis of their service to the community - often its most vulernable members.
However they do appear willing and able to increase payments to the audit-failing EU's budget by 63% - many billions more a year than subsidising loss-making post offices would cost.
Consumer watchdog Postwatch said that the closures were bad news, but it accepted the government spin that the current network was "unsustainable" (without further subsidy).
The government decided in December that 2,500 closures were required and said at the time that it wanted to help the Post Office modernise, restore profitability in its main offices, invest in new products and look at innovative ways to deliver services.
On Tuesday, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said it would provide funding of "up to £1.7bn until 2011 to continue to support the network" and to enable the Post Office "to modernise and rationalise".
However the government has recently agreed to gift the EU far more - an extra £2.5bn every single year, despite 12 years of the EU failing its audit. Is this a demonstration of the right priorities?
MPs who vote to approve the obvious waste of the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament in the next session will be to blame for these consequent shortfalls in funding for essential public services.
Labels:
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Sunday, 23 September 2007
Derbyshire: Post offices under threat
Residents in Derbyshire are being urged to give their opinions on the future of local post offices.
A six-week public consultation is due to start at the end of September as the Post Office gets ready to announce closures in the county, due to insufficient government subsidies available to support loss-making offices.
The Post Office currently has plans to close some branches in the Chesterfield, High Peak and North East Derbyshire areas.
County councillor Geoff Carlile said he needed input from county residents.
"Post offices play a vital social and economic role in local communities and it is important we have a stable, viable network of offices for the future," said Mr Carlile.
"I will be looking closely at the Post Office's plans in our area as we need to ensure that it has taken full account of the needs of communities affected.
"We have been working hard to ensure that services are safeguarded and we will do whatever we can to use our influence to retain services where they are needed."
A six-week public consultation is due to start at the end of September as the Post Office gets ready to announce closures in the county, due to insufficient government subsidies available to support loss-making offices.
The Post Office currently has plans to close some branches in the Chesterfield, High Peak and North East Derbyshire areas.
County councillor Geoff Carlile said he needed input from county residents.
"Post offices play a vital social and economic role in local communities and it is important we have a stable, viable network of offices for the future," said Mr Carlile.
"I will be looking closely at the Post Office's plans in our area as we need to ensure that it has taken full account of the needs of communities affected.
"We have been working hard to ensure that services are safeguarded and we will do whatever we can to use our influence to retain services where they are needed."
Thursday, 6 September 2007
Post office closures hit estates
People living in housing estates surrounding cities are some of those worst hit by post office closures, according to the BBC.
A new report by the National Consumer Council said that the closures had reduced services that are already scarce in these areas.
The report found post offices were crucial for residents who are often on low incomes or unemployed.
It said those most reliant on them, such as the elderly, were least able to lobby for post offices to stay open.
The impact was felt particularly badly in estates on the outskirts of towns, because there was also a dearth of basic services such as banks and supermarkets.
Professor Richard Webber of University College London, who analysed the findings, said: "At a national level, Post Office Ltd has worked with sub-postmasters' preferences to decide which post offices should be closed.
"However, in practice, a consistent pattern is not easy to discern.
"Some neighbourhoods of acute social need do not seem to have benefited from protection and the closure rate is very uneven between similar areas, as well as across different regions of the country."
Nicola O'Reilly, of the National Consumer Council, said: "Protecting vulnerable communities from the impact of post office closures is no simple task.
"People are as important as places in these decisions. It's vital that plans for the next 2,500 closures protect the people who would be hardest hit."
A new report by the National Consumer Council said that the closures had reduced services that are already scarce in these areas.
The report found post offices were crucial for residents who are often on low incomes or unemployed.
It said those most reliant on them, such as the elderly, were least able to lobby for post offices to stay open.
The impact was felt particularly badly in estates on the outskirts of towns, because there was also a dearth of basic services such as banks and supermarkets.
Professor Richard Webber of University College London, who analysed the findings, said: "At a national level, Post Office Ltd has worked with sub-postmasters' preferences to decide which post offices should be closed.
"However, in practice, a consistent pattern is not easy to discern.
"Some neighbourhoods of acute social need do not seem to have benefited from protection and the closure rate is very uneven between similar areas, as well as across different regions of the country."
Nicola O'Reilly, of the National Consumer Council, said: "Protecting vulnerable communities from the impact of post office closures is no simple task.
"People are as important as places in these decisions. It's vital that plans for the next 2,500 closures protect the people who would be hardest hit."
Thursday, 7 June 2007
Burton: MP's vow over post office axe
Uttoxeter's MP says she will do "everything in her power" to make sure vital Post Office services are not lost, reports the Burton Mail.
Labour's Janet Dean also accused Tory MP hopeful Andrew Griffiths of "scaremongering" after he claimed four Post Offices would be axed in East Staffordshire.
Mrs Dean spoke out as the Government confirmed 2,500 branches will close in the next 18 months in an effort to plug a deficit now running at £4 million a week.
Mrs Dean said: "There are no local quotas - we do not know how many, if any, will be closed in Burton or Uttoxeter. It's scaremongering.
"Mr Griffiths is clearly going on the average. He has taken the figure of 2,500 and divided it by the number of constituencies. If there are closures announced, and people object, I will try to ensure they stay open or there are alternatives in place.
"I will do everything in my power to stand up for the people and speak out on their behalf.
However, will that "everything" include voting against the blatant waste of extra billions that the government wants to hand over to the EU - which could be used to increase subsidies to struggling local post offices instead?
MPs like Janet Dean can't get away with the hypocrisy of claiming to be standing up for public services in local newspapers, but when safely back in Westminster voting billions of pounds away to an audit-failing organisation like the EU without any justification.
Loss-making but 'lifeline' post offices need subsidies to survive. If there's not enough money to maintain a proper network, MPs who vote to waste public cash must accept the blame.
Labour's Janet Dean also accused Tory MP hopeful Andrew Griffiths of "scaremongering" after he claimed four Post Offices would be axed in East Staffordshire.
Mrs Dean spoke out as the Government confirmed 2,500 branches will close in the next 18 months in an effort to plug a deficit now running at £4 million a week.
Mrs Dean said: "There are no local quotas - we do not know how many, if any, will be closed in Burton or Uttoxeter. It's scaremongering.
"Mr Griffiths is clearly going on the average. He has taken the figure of 2,500 and divided it by the number of constituencies. If there are closures announced, and people object, I will try to ensure they stay open or there are alternatives in place.
"I will do everything in my power to stand up for the people and speak out on their behalf.
However, will that "everything" include voting against the blatant waste of extra billions that the government wants to hand over to the EU - which could be used to increase subsidies to struggling local post offices instead?
MPs like Janet Dean can't get away with the hypocrisy of claiming to be standing up for public services in local newspapers, but when safely back in Westminster voting billions of pounds away to an audit-failing organisation like the EU without any justification.
Loss-making but 'lifeline' post offices need subsidies to survive. If there's not enough money to maintain a proper network, MPs who vote to waste public cash must accept the blame.
Labels:
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derbyshire,
post offices,
uttoxeter
Friday, 25 May 2007
Rossendale: 'Don’t stamp out our post offices'
The future of a number of Valley post offices has been thrown up in the air following the government's announcement that around 2,500 branches will close in the next two years - reports the Manchester Evening News.
Postmasters across Rossendale face an uncertain future following Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling's Commons announcement last Thursday that a fifth of the nation's network is to close.
A clearer picture should emerge following meetings between Valley postmasters and the Post Office Ltd pegged for the coming months.
Mr Darling argued that new technology and changing lifestyles were resulting in the entire network running with unsustainable weekly losses of £4M.
But Jackie Oakes, of Stacksteads Post Office said that, despite systematic changes in services such as pensions, her business had never been more vital.
She said: 'I'm still as busy as ever; we were a bit surprised as we thought that we would be less busy when the pension books went but I think people are more aware now of the banking services we offer and they make a point of supporting the Post Office service.'
There will be around 60 area-specific proposals conducted before a period of public consultation is launched; the final decision will be made by Post Office Ltd.
Jackie explained that Valley postmasters were currently in the dark over what would ultimately happen and were nervously awaiting news from the parent company.
She added: 'Basically all we know is that if they keep to the three-mile distance rule between post offices they could close us, Lea Mill and Britannia and that will be a catastrophe.
'The timescale is the next 18 months, but 18 months ago when they said they would close 2,000 post offices there was such a furore that they had a public consultation, yet here we are now and they are saying the same thing.
'All the postmasters have been invited to a meeting in the middle of June, when they may learn more, but at the moment there is nobody we can contact to clarify anything, so we will just have to wait until then.
'On a personal level, I live on the premises so this is really important to me.'
If government subsidy cuts cause local post office closures, can local MP Janet Anderson really justify approving paying the EU an extra £2.5 billion every year - much more than would be needed to keep local lifeline post offices open?
That would hardly be a responsible course of action on behalf of her constituents. Especially since the EU hasn't been able to get its accounts approved by auditors for twelve years in a row, so we're unlikely to find out how the majority of that £2.5bn extra EU payment gets spent.
Only holding her seat by a highly marginal 3,676 votes, Ms Anderson had better consider very carefully how voting to approve the EU budget deal would look to local voters denied essential public services that could have been saved with a little more financial support.
Postmasters across Rossendale face an uncertain future following Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling's Commons announcement last Thursday that a fifth of the nation's network is to close.
A clearer picture should emerge following meetings between Valley postmasters and the Post Office Ltd pegged for the coming months.
Mr Darling argued that new technology and changing lifestyles were resulting in the entire network running with unsustainable weekly losses of £4M.
But Jackie Oakes, of Stacksteads Post Office said that, despite systematic changes in services such as pensions, her business had never been more vital.
She said: 'I'm still as busy as ever; we were a bit surprised as we thought that we would be less busy when the pension books went but I think people are more aware now of the banking services we offer and they make a point of supporting the Post Office service.'
There will be around 60 area-specific proposals conducted before a period of public consultation is launched; the final decision will be made by Post Office Ltd.
Jackie explained that Valley postmasters were currently in the dark over what would ultimately happen and were nervously awaiting news from the parent company.
She added: 'Basically all we know is that if they keep to the three-mile distance rule between post offices they could close us, Lea Mill and Britannia and that will be a catastrophe.
'The timescale is the next 18 months, but 18 months ago when they said they would close 2,000 post offices there was such a furore that they had a public consultation, yet here we are now and they are saying the same thing.
'All the postmasters have been invited to a meeting in the middle of June, when they may learn more, but at the moment there is nobody we can contact to clarify anything, so we will just have to wait until then.
'On a personal level, I live on the premises so this is really important to me.'
If government subsidy cuts cause local post office closures, can local MP Janet Anderson really justify approving paying the EU an extra £2.5 billion every year - much more than would be needed to keep local lifeline post offices open?
That would hardly be a responsible course of action on behalf of her constituents. Especially since the EU hasn't been able to get its accounts approved by auditors for twelve years in a row, so we're unlikely to find out how the majority of that £2.5bn extra EU payment gets spent.
Only holding her seat by a highly marginal 3,676 votes, Ms Anderson had better consider very carefully how voting to approve the EU budget deal would look to local voters denied essential public services that could have been saved with a little more financial support.
Tuesday, 22 May 2007
Redditch: Fears over post office closures
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.
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.
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Sunday, 20 May 2007
Oxfordshire: Urban post offices 'also under threat'
Urban post offices are under threat as well as their rural counterparts, an Oxford sub-postmaster has warned - reports the Oxford Times.
Dozens of sub-postmasters across the county were left wondering if their businesses had a future after the Government said 2,500 of the country's 14,000 post offices would have to close.
The Government confirmed proposals announced last December for 2,500 branches - 18% of the total - to shut.
In Oxfordshire, that could mean about 30 of the 180 post offices in the county shutting. A list of which will have to close has not been issued.
Christine Donnelly, the secretary of the Oxford and District branch of the National Federation of Sub Postmasters, who runs Great Milton Post Office, said more rural post offices were likely to close than urban ones, but there could be closures in urban areas as well.
But Jan Sanderson, who runs the Elms Parade post office in Botley, said: "Urban post offices are suffering just as much because the Government has repeatedly diverted business elsewhere.
Her husband John, 60, added: "We do not get any rural subsidy like the branches out in the country but we still have to find rent and rates. It's getting harder all the time."
Pakeera Rathan, 32, who runs the post office and Costcutter shop in Old Marston Road, is another sub-postmaster who fears for the future of his branch.
He said earlier that the branch was a lifeline customers in the area because neighbouring branches had closed.
In the past six years, 21 post offices in Oxfordshire have closed. The most recent casualty was in Courtland Road, Rose Hill, Oxford, in March.
The changes will come into effect over an 18-month period from this summer.
Before MPs vote an extra £2.5 billion every year away to the EU - which still cannot pass its annual financial audit - they should surely explain to local voters why there isn't more government subsidy available to "lifeline" post offices in order to prevent 2,500 facing closure.
If the answer is insufficient government funds, then MPs can scarcely afford to approve sending billions extra to the EU. Or those local voters without a post office as a result will likely want answers for such a clearly irresponsible approach to public spending, come the next election.
Dozens of sub-postmasters across the county were left wondering if their businesses had a future after the Government said 2,500 of the country's 14,000 post offices would have to close.
The Government confirmed proposals announced last December for 2,500 branches - 18% of the total - to shut.
In Oxfordshire, that could mean about 30 of the 180 post offices in the county shutting. A list of which will have to close has not been issued.
Christine Donnelly, the secretary of the Oxford and District branch of the National Federation of Sub Postmasters, who runs Great Milton Post Office, said more rural post offices were likely to close than urban ones, but there could be closures in urban areas as well.
But Jan Sanderson, who runs the Elms Parade post office in Botley, said: "Urban post offices are suffering just as much because the Government has repeatedly diverted business elsewhere.
Her husband John, 60, added: "We do not get any rural subsidy like the branches out in the country but we still have to find rent and rates. It's getting harder all the time."
Pakeera Rathan, 32, who runs the post office and Costcutter shop in Old Marston Road, is another sub-postmaster who fears for the future of his branch.
He said earlier that the branch was a lifeline customers in the area because neighbouring branches had closed.
In the past six years, 21 post offices in Oxfordshire have closed. The most recent casualty was in Courtland Road, Rose Hill, Oxford, in March.
The changes will come into effect over an 18-month period from this summer.
Before MPs vote an extra £2.5 billion every year away to the EU - which still cannot pass its annual financial audit - they should surely explain to local voters why there isn't more government subsidy available to "lifeline" post offices in order to prevent 2,500 facing closure.
If the answer is insufficient government funds, then MPs can scarcely afford to approve sending billions extra to the EU. Or those local voters without a post office as a result will likely want answers for such a clearly irresponsible approach to public spending, come the next election.
Thursday, 17 May 2007
2,500 more post offices to close
The BBC reports today that about 2,500 post offices are to close by 2009, representing a fifth of those left in the UK.
The news comes on top of the over 4,000 post offices that have shut in the past eight years.
Trade Secretary Alistair Darling, ahead of speaking in Parliament about the post office network, claimed that the current network was "unsustainable".
But opposition parties say further closures will devastate local communities, particularly in rural areas.
The network has been affected by the decision to pay a range of services like pensions and benefits directly into bank accounts, while others traditionally provided by post offices like TV and driving licences, passports and tax disks are now increasingly being bought online.
Liberal Democrat trade spokeswoman Susan Kramer said the closures would be a "death knell" for many communities.
"The government sees only a business in inevitable decline. Its plan is designed purely to save money and has nothing to do with meeting the long-term needs of people who rely on post offices for essential services."
If the government can't afford to subsidise those post offices that are not profit-making on the grounds of the essential support and services they provide in many communities, they need to be looking to make savings in the areas of government spending that are an obvious waste.
One obvious target for making a saving is the £2.5bn extra every year that Tony Blair has agreed to hand over to the EU - because of the scale of the saving possible, and the complete lack of justification for rewarding an audit-failing organisation with a 60% increase in payments.
Are MPs going to agree to this waste, when the EU budget deal comes before Parliament for their approval? If so, post office closures due to lack of public money for subsidies will be their fault alone - and local voters will know who to blame, come the next election.
The news comes on top of the over 4,000 post offices that have shut in the past eight years.
Trade Secretary Alistair Darling, ahead of speaking in Parliament about the post office network, claimed that the current network was "unsustainable".
But opposition parties say further closures will devastate local communities, particularly in rural areas.
The network has been affected by the decision to pay a range of services like pensions and benefits directly into bank accounts, while others traditionally provided by post offices like TV and driving licences, passports and tax disks are now increasingly being bought online.
Liberal Democrat trade spokeswoman Susan Kramer said the closures would be a "death knell" for many communities.
"The government sees only a business in inevitable decline. Its plan is designed purely to save money and has nothing to do with meeting the long-term needs of people who rely on post offices for essential services."
If the government can't afford to subsidise those post offices that are not profit-making on the grounds of the essential support and services they provide in many communities, they need to be looking to make savings in the areas of government spending that are an obvious waste.
One obvious target for making a saving is the £2.5bn extra every year that Tony Blair has agreed to hand over to the EU - because of the scale of the saving possible, and the complete lack of justification for rewarding an audit-failing organisation with a 60% increase in payments.
Are MPs going to agree to this waste, when the EU budget deal comes before Parliament for their approval? If so, post office closures due to lack of public money for subsidies will be their fault alone - and local voters will know who to blame, come the next election.
Monday, 14 May 2007
Oxfordshire: Post office protesters visit Brown
Campaigners fighting to prevent the closure of Oxfordshire post offices will deliver a petition to No 11 Downing Street today - reports the Oxford Times.
Residents, councillors, a village postmaster and Banbury MP Tony Baldry will call on Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown to ensure post offices are given the financial support they need to stay economically viable.
The petition, which will also be presented to Parliament on Wednesday, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents from about 20 towns and villages in Oxfordshire.
It urges the Government to "stop action which will lead to the immediate closure of post offices" and urgently review funding and the services offered by branches to enable them to continue to be "a cornerstone of the community for individuals, business and the most vulnerable in society".
Earlier this month, Trade and Industry Secretary Alastair Darling said he intended to make a statement "fairly shortly" about the issue.
Residents, councillors, a village postmaster and Banbury MP Tony Baldry will call on Chancellor of the Exchequer and Prime Minister-in-waiting Gordon Brown to ensure post offices are given the financial support they need to stay economically viable.
The petition, which will also be presented to Parliament on Wednesday, has been signed by more than 1,000 residents from about 20 towns and villages in Oxfordshire.
It urges the Government to "stop action which will lead to the immediate closure of post offices" and urgently review funding and the services offered by branches to enable them to continue to be "a cornerstone of the community for individuals, business and the most vulnerable in society".
Earlier this month, Trade and Industry Secretary Alastair Darling said he intended to make a statement "fairly shortly" about the issue.
Friday, 11 May 2007
Cowley: PO closure causes queues
The Oxford Times reports today that pensioners are being forced to queue for up to an hour to use a post office in Cowley following the closure of a nearby branch in Rose Hill.
More than 30 people were waiting for Post Office services following the Bank Holiday weekend before the counter, at the Co-op store in Templars Square, even opened, with the queue continuing to grow throughout the morning.
Peter Stovold, of Hollow Way, started queuing 45 minutes before the post office opened. He said: "Every day it's really backed up and it's usually worse than this.
"I got here at 8.45am and I've been queuing for 45 minutes because otherwise you have to wait 40 minutes in the queue. It's just easier to get here earlier."
Jane Lambert, from Iffley, left the post office without being served because she did not have enough time to wait.
She said: "It's completely ridiculous. I live near Rose Hill and since they closed the one there, which is absolutely crazy, everyone has to come here so it's really busy.
"I came to pay my council tax but the queues are just too long. I can't spend hours queuing.
"You can't do it anywhere else because they have closed the council tax office in town as well."
Tina Lambrick, of Derwent Avenue, also left without being served, having come to pick up child benefit for her two children.
She said: "There's no way I'm getting in that queue, that's an hour's wait at least.
"I feel sorry for the old people who have to stand waiting for so long. Something needs to be done."
More than 30 people were waiting for Post Office services following the Bank Holiday weekend before the counter, at the Co-op store in Templars Square, even opened, with the queue continuing to grow throughout the morning.
Peter Stovold, of Hollow Way, started queuing 45 minutes before the post office opened. He said: "Every day it's really backed up and it's usually worse than this.
"I got here at 8.45am and I've been queuing for 45 minutes because otherwise you have to wait 40 minutes in the queue. It's just easier to get here earlier."
Jane Lambert, from Iffley, left the post office without being served because she did not have enough time to wait.
She said: "It's completely ridiculous. I live near Rose Hill and since they closed the one there, which is absolutely crazy, everyone has to come here so it's really busy.
"I came to pay my council tax but the queues are just too long. I can't spend hours queuing.
"You can't do it anywhere else because they have closed the council tax office in town as well."
Tina Lambrick, of Derwent Avenue, also left without being served, having come to pick up child benefit for her two children.
She said: "There's no way I'm getting in that queue, that's an hour's wait at least.
"I feel sorry for the old people who have to stand waiting for so long. Something needs to be done."
Thursday, 10 May 2007
Blackpool: Fight on for post office
The fight to save Blackpool's historic Crown post office has been stepped up with the town's MPs fearing that vulnerable residents will be hit by the closure - reports the Blackpool Citizen.
Plans were announced by Royal Mail last month to close the Abingdon Street office and transfer services to WH Smith in Bank Hey Street, as part of a nationwide cost-cutting initiative which will see 76 Crown Post Offices closed.
Both MPs for the town, Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble have signed a Commons motion, which has so far been supported by 30 MPs, calling for more consultation and expressing anger at the decision.
Not enough "anger", however, to consider blocking the government's completely unjustified 60% proposed increase in payments to the audit-failing EU, to divert the £2.5 billion a year at stake to supporting lifeline post offices serving "vulnerable" constituents instead.
Mr Marsden has also written to the managing director of the Post Office, Alan Cook, seeking assurances about services and postal workers' jobs.
In the letter, he states: "The Post Office provides a service to the most vulnerable people in Blackpool, the disabled, those claiming benefits, as well as the elderly and unemployed.
"What plans do you have to relocate the service counters with WH Smith, which has a far smaller surface area in my estimation and how will you ensure that elderly and disabled customers are able to use the new facilities easily?"
Mrs Humble said that there should be much more debate before the decision is finalised.
She said: "I will be seeking information from the Royal Mail, the DTI and ministerial colleagues on the reasons behind it and the treatment of the staff who work there.
"Whenever I go into the Abingdon Street post office it is very busy and provides an excellent service in an ideal location.
"I have my doubts whether relocating the office to WH Smith will be able to provide the same level of service.
"It is also a one of Blackpool's most eyecatching buildings and I will be seeking clarification on its future."
Both Blackpool MPs Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble have said they intend to vote in favour of the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament for approval.
Both clearly seem to think that Blackpool's public services have all the money they could use, so gifting billions of pounds a year to the EU is affordable.
Yet auditors haven't been able to approve the "majority" of EU spending for twelve years in a row, and every week it seems there is a new report of EU waste or fraud.
So Marsden and Humble may well protest when the effects of shortages of public money are felt in their constituencies. But if they vote to waste vast sums on the EU - a 60% increase over what we already pay - then they alone bear ultimate responsibility for local problems that could be solved with a little extra financial support from government.
Plans were announced by Royal Mail last month to close the Abingdon Street office and transfer services to WH Smith in Bank Hey Street, as part of a nationwide cost-cutting initiative which will see 76 Crown Post Offices closed.
Both MPs for the town, Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble have signed a Commons motion, which has so far been supported by 30 MPs, calling for more consultation and expressing anger at the decision.
Not enough "anger", however, to consider blocking the government's completely unjustified 60% proposed increase in payments to the audit-failing EU, to divert the £2.5 billion a year at stake to supporting lifeline post offices serving "vulnerable" constituents instead.
Mr Marsden has also written to the managing director of the Post Office, Alan Cook, seeking assurances about services and postal workers' jobs.
In the letter, he states: "The Post Office provides a service to the most vulnerable people in Blackpool, the disabled, those claiming benefits, as well as the elderly and unemployed.
"What plans do you have to relocate the service counters with WH Smith, which has a far smaller surface area in my estimation and how will you ensure that elderly and disabled customers are able to use the new facilities easily?"
Mrs Humble said that there should be much more debate before the decision is finalised.
She said: "I will be seeking information from the Royal Mail, the DTI and ministerial colleagues on the reasons behind it and the treatment of the staff who work there.
"Whenever I go into the Abingdon Street post office it is very busy and provides an excellent service in an ideal location.
"I have my doubts whether relocating the office to WH Smith will be able to provide the same level of service.
"It is also a one of Blackpool's most eyecatching buildings and I will be seeking clarification on its future."
Both Blackpool MPs Gordon Marsden and Joan Humble have said they intend to vote in favour of the EU budget deal when it comes before Parliament for approval.
Both clearly seem to think that Blackpool's public services have all the money they could use, so gifting billions of pounds a year to the EU is affordable.
Yet auditors haven't been able to approve the "majority" of EU spending for twelve years in a row, and every week it seems there is a new report of EU waste or fraud.
So Marsden and Humble may well protest when the effects of shortages of public money are felt in their constituencies. But if they vote to waste vast sums on the EU - a 60% increase over what we already pay - then they alone bear ultimate responsibility for local problems that could be solved with a little extra financial support from government.
Wednesday, 21 February 2007
Labour MP: Post offices are being bled dry
A Labour MP has spoken out today against the planned closure of 2,500 post offices, reports the Daily Telegraph.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Post Office Minister, decided before Christmas that the Government would close 2,500 loss-making post offices, despite a Federation of Subpostmasters petition collecting four million signatures against the plan.
It has not yet been decided which offices should close, but many are expected to be in rural areas, leaving pensioners and other vulnerable people struggling.
Today Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall in south London, blamed the increasing closures of post offices on the government taking work away from them, causing many to lose too much money to be viable.
But the government has not been compensating them by increasing subsidies.
Hoey said "It seems that one part of the Government does not know what other parts are doing. There is nothing joined up about the way the Government has been treating the post office".
Age Concern has also warned that older people in rural areas were becoming more isolated as post offices closed. Margaret Creear, the organisation's campaigns project officer, said "The post office ensures local access for older people to the basic essential services.
"The post office is important for social contact – literally a lifeline – for many older people."
The Government defended its plans by claiming that it was continuing to subsidise the rural network, but that there was "widespread recognition that the current size of the network is unsustainable".
However, they did not clarify who this alleged "widespread" body of opinion consisted of, whereas four million signatures against the closures is a quite clearly 'widespread' body of opinion to the contrary.
The truth is that the government is not prepared to increase the subsidy to keep these important rural lifelines open. If the reason is that they haven't the money, then MPs should not even be considering voting billions more than we already pay away to the audit-failing EU.
Jim Fitzpatrick, the Post Office Minister, decided before Christmas that the Government would close 2,500 loss-making post offices, despite a Federation of Subpostmasters petition collecting four million signatures against the plan.
It has not yet been decided which offices should close, but many are expected to be in rural areas, leaving pensioners and other vulnerable people struggling.
Today Kate Hoey, MP for Vauxhall in south London, blamed the increasing closures of post offices on the government taking work away from them, causing many to lose too much money to be viable.
But the government has not been compensating them by increasing subsidies.
Hoey said "It seems that one part of the Government does not know what other parts are doing. There is nothing joined up about the way the Government has been treating the post office".
Age Concern has also warned that older people in rural areas were becoming more isolated as post offices closed. Margaret Creear, the organisation's campaigns project officer, said "The post office ensures local access for older people to the basic essential services.
"The post office is important for social contact – literally a lifeline – for many older people."
The Government defended its plans by claiming that it was continuing to subsidise the rural network, but that there was "widespread recognition that the current size of the network is unsustainable".
However, they did not clarify who this alleged "widespread" body of opinion consisted of, whereas four million signatures against the closures is a quite clearly 'widespread' body of opinion to the contrary.
The truth is that the government is not prepared to increase the subsidy to keep these important rural lifelines open. If the reason is that they haven't the money, then MPs should not even be considering voting billions more than we already pay away to the audit-failing EU.
Sunday, 10 December 2006
Thousands more post offices will go
The implications of cuts to government subidies for post offices are being highlighted today by the Daily Telegraph.
The paper is reporting that somewhere between 3,000 and 7,000 face the axe out of a total network of 14,500, according to Whitehall sources.
Rural areas are likely to be hit hardest by such cuts, with the local post office often playing a central role in community life. More than 4,000 offices have closed in the past six years and more than 5,000 in the past 10 years. Many of the remaining 14,500 lose money, particularly those in rural areas.
The Government provides a £150 million annual subsidy, but this subsidy is being cut causing the closures.
Royal Mail executives are understood to have given ministers a detailed breakdown detailing how many offices will have to close if the £150 million-a-year subsidy is cut to various levels.
The question is why is this subsidy being cut? It isn't even 10 days worth of the cash Tony Blair has promised to pay the EU from next year - at £115 million a week (net). Were we to Stop the Cheques there'd be money for an increased subsidy and much more besides.
If only the government could get its priorities right and start looking after essential needs like post offices rather than lavishing billions more on an already wealthy but wasteful EU.
The paper is reporting that somewhere between 3,000 and 7,000 face the axe out of a total network of 14,500, according to Whitehall sources.
Rural areas are likely to be hit hardest by such cuts, with the local post office often playing a central role in community life. More than 4,000 offices have closed in the past six years and more than 5,000 in the past 10 years. Many of the remaining 14,500 lose money, particularly those in rural areas.
The Government provides a £150 million annual subsidy, but this subsidy is being cut causing the closures.
Royal Mail executives are understood to have given ministers a detailed breakdown detailing how many offices will have to close if the £150 million-a-year subsidy is cut to various levels.
The question is why is this subsidy being cut? It isn't even 10 days worth of the cash Tony Blair has promised to pay the EU from next year - at £115 million a week (net). Were we to Stop the Cheques there'd be money for an increased subsidy and much more besides.
If only the government could get its priorities right and start looking after essential needs like post offices rather than lavishing billions more on an already wealthy but wasteful EU.
Wednesday, 18 October 2006
Millions petition for post offices
Tony Blair has ruled out further subsidies to safeguard the country's declining post office network despite a petition with four million names demanding urgent action being handed in to 10 Downing Street today, reports The Times.
The PM said that up to £2 billion had already been invested and with current subsidies at £150 million a year, no more money would be made available.
As he spoke, thousands of postmasters attended a rally in Westminster to try and stave off the unravelling Britain's rural network.
Current subsidies at £150 million a year sounds a lot. But it's nothing in context of the cash we pay the EU, without justification given they can't tell us how they spend it.
That post office subsidy will be a bit more than one week's worth of next year's net contribution to the EU at £115 million a week, if MPs vote to approve the EU budget deal Blair did last December when it comes before Parliament.
The government could afford more to keep these vital community services open if such vast amounts weren't being wasted by handing them to the EU.
MPs who vote this money away to the EU will have no defence if their local post office faces closure due to a lack of government support.
The PM said that up to £2 billion had already been invested and with current subsidies at £150 million a year, no more money would be made available.
As he spoke, thousands of postmasters attended a rally in Westminster to try and stave off the unravelling Britain's rural network.
Current subsidies at £150 million a year sounds a lot. But it's nothing in context of the cash we pay the EU, without justification given they can't tell us how they spend it.
That post office subsidy will be a bit more than one week's worth of next year's net contribution to the EU at £115 million a week, if MPs vote to approve the EU budget deal Blair did last December when it comes before Parliament.
The government could afford more to keep these vital community services open if such vast amounts weren't being wasted by handing them to the EU.
MPs who vote this money away to the EU will have no defence if their local post office faces closure due to a lack of government support.
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