Post Office Closures - Demand for Action

1.58.57pm GMT Wed 17th Nov 2004

Liberal Democrats are campaigning to save Hampshire's Post Offices

Liberal Democrat County Councillors are demanding action to stem the tide of Post Office closures.

In a motion to be put to Hampshire County Council this month, the Lib Dems are calling on County Hall to oppose further Post Office closures. They also want the Council to look at ways of routing services through local post offices to help preserve them. And they also say the County Council should campaign with other bodies to fight the closure programme.

The full wording of the motion to be proposed by Lib Dem Group Leader Adrian Collett is:

Save Our Post Offices

This Council notes:

1. That many urban sub post offices in Hampshire have closed in recent years;

2. That many more urban sub post offices are still due to close under the Government's so-called Network Reinvention Programme;

3. That plans being considered by Royal Mail regarding High Street Crown post offices indicate that up to half of these could also be lost;

4. That the Government's decision to abolish pension and benefit books has been a major cause of loss of business for post offices;

5. That the County Council is a formal consultee in the closure process.

This Council recognises that the loss of these sub post offices, and the potential loss of up to half of our Crown post offices, has a negative impact on the quality of life of many Hampshire residents, including:

1. Causing social deprivation by cutting many vulnerable people off from a vital community service (undermining Corporate Strategy Aim 1);

2. Adding to traffic on our roads as people are forced to drive to post offices that are no longer within their walking range (undermining CSA 2);

3. Undermining the economic viability of other neighbourhood shops and services as people are forced to travel to more distant locations to do their post office business (undermining CSA 3);

4. Isolating people from their friends and neighbours as they visit more remote post offices (if they can) where they will meet far less people that they know and where a postmaster/mistress is far less likely to notice if someone doesn't turn up (undermining CSA 4).

This Council, therefore, protests in the strongest possible terms at this dismantling of our community infrastructure and resolves to:

1. Develop a strategy to do everything we can to save sub post offices and Crown post offices in Hampshire that are under threat;

2. Investigate opportunities to provide County Council services through post offices in order to help keep as many of them viable as possible;

3. Work with partner organisations, district and parish councils and local communities throughout Hampshire to achieve the above objectives on behalf of those Hampshire residents who are elderly, frail or disabled and everyone else who will be adversely affected by this loss of essential community infrastructure.

PROPOSED: Cllr Adrian Collett

SECONDED: Cllr Brian Dash