Massive response to Lib Dem post office petition (Islington Liberal Democrats)

Islington Liberal Democrats <Islington_ld@cix.co.uk>

Massive response to Lib Dem post office petition

August 10, 2004 4:04 PM

Hundreds of Islington residents have signed the Liberal Democrat petition calling on the Post Office to abandon plans to close three local branches.

Since the closure programme was announced at the beginning of July, Liberal Democrats have led the fight to save the three branches in Amwell, Copenhagen and St.Peter's Street. Local campaigner Bridget Fox has also highlighted how Islington's two Labour MPs have backed the government-sponsored closure plans.

Liberal Democrats organised two public meetings last month, met with Post Office bosses this week, have delivered thousands of leaflets alerting local residents to the planned closures and started a petition campaign which hundreds of local residents have now signed.

All the petition signatures and letters protesting against the closures have now been forwarded to Post Office chiefs and the Department for Trade and Industry as part of the official Liberal Democrat response to the Post Office's consultation programme.

Liberal Democrat councillor Bridget Fox, said:

"If the Post Office didn't understand how angry Islington's residents are about these proposed closures they should do now.

"I think the Post Office has seriously underestimated the level of opposition to these closures and should think again. For hundreds of people to sign the Lib Dem petition in just a couple of weeks shows the strength of local feeling.

"We're arguing that Islington needs all its post offices. Now we need the Post Office to listen to Islington. Let's hope they don't now choose to stick their fingers in their ears "

The Facts

The Post Office announced on 30th June that it was proposing to close three sub-post offices in the Islington South & Finsbury parliamentary constituency as part of their national urban 'Network Reinvention Programme'. The branches are in Amwell Street, Copenhagen Street and St.Peter's Street. Both of Islington's Labour MPs voted AGAINST a Parliamentary motion backed by the Liberal Democrats and Conservatives condemning the urban post office closure programme. It read That this House deplores the programme to close 3,000 urban post offices because closure decisions are being made without taking adequately into account the needs of post office customers; believes that honourable Members are insufficiently consulted when proposed closures are announced; regrets the lack of time available to provide for a full consultation period and the failure of the consultation process to influence the closure programme; condemns the Government as the sole shareholder of Royal Mail plc's wholly-owned subsidiary, The Post Office Ltd., for its failure to intervene in order to rectify the way in which the Urban Reinvention Programme is being implemented; expresses its great concern about the programme to implement Post Office card accounts, which is failing to reflect the needs of customers, especially for the most vulnerable, including elderly and disabled people; calls on the Government to give a firm indication that an Exceptions Service will be introduced and to provide the House with the details of how such a system will operate after 2005; and further calls on the Government to make a statement on the sustainability of the funding of rural post offices beyond 2006.They voted FOR a Labour motion congratulating the Government for its commitment to modernise and invest in the national network of post offices (the 'Network Reinvention Programme' which will mean the closure of 3000 urban post offices) and for the consultation programme for any proposed post office closures.