Lib Dems slam closure of Westbourne Rd Post Office

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 22nd Jul 2003

The Lib Dems have condemned the closure of Westbourne Road post office, which they heard this week will definitely be shutting.

Lib Dems from all the adjoining areas, Caledonian, Barnsbury, St Mary's and Holloway, had been fighting to keep the post office open, writing letters of protest to the post office and only this week tabling a motion to the council asking for the council's backing. But during the debate Lib Dem Cllr Carol Powell revealed that she had just received a letter from the Post Office confirming that they will be shutting Westbourne Road Post office.

Plans for closing this post office had caused a public outcry in the surrounding area. It even prompted a local community group to put in a bid to take it over, a bid that the Post Office quickly refused.

The motion highlighted the need for local post offices such as which are a valuable resource for the local community and went on to condemn the Labour Government for their plans to close local post offices like the one on Westbourne Road. At the meeting the Lib Dems spoke passionately in favour of this motion.

Labour voted against the motion. During the debate, Labour Leader Cllr Mary Creagh said "I think the Government have got better things to do" while Labour Deputy Leader Richard Greening said "I think the Government are right to prioritise rural post offices over urban ones".

In response to this local Lib Dem councillor for St Mary's, Joan Coupland said: "Westbourne Rd post office is well-loved and used by many locals. It'll break their heart to see it close. What's more the only alternative is a trek down to busy Highbury Corner which many elderly just won't be able to do. This Labour Government should be ashamed of themselves for closing all our local post offices."

Local Lib Dem councillor Sylvia Wright adds: "This Labour Government are turning their backs on our post offices, choosing to spend our money dropping bombs on Iraq instead. Even their cronies, the Labour councillors, backed this closure! The only ones who have the guts to stand up to them are the Lib Dems. Rest assured we'll keep fighting to save our post offices."