Post Offices FACT! - Having already closed thousands of Post Offices plans for a further 2,500 closures nationwide were announced in May 2007.
Postwatch – the regulatory body – have expressed the view that this will mean around 150 Post Offices being closed across London, equating to around 5 or 6 per borough. This assumption has not been challenged by Post Office Ltd.
What is clear is that the consultation, which will take place early in 2008, is cosmetic. It will last for 6 weeks and it has already been made clear it will not be about saving any Offices. That is plainly unacceptable and I will fight the Post Office plans if they affect any services in the Eltham constituency.
Post Offices provide more than just postage services. Although Labour have done everything possible to cripple Post Offices, from withdrawing the TV licence service to altering the system for payment of benefits, Post Offices remain a vital part of community life. This is as true in New Eltham as in rural areas.
Our Post Offices provide a vital link to the community and encourage trade for other local traders. Labour politicians may not care about that but I do - and so do thousands of others who use their services weekly.