Lib Dems slam go-ahead for post office closure

9.44.09am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 1st Sep 2004

Islington's Liberal Democrat councillors have slammed a decision by the Post Office to announce the closure of the Copenhagen Street branch post office - weeks before an official decision was due.

Liberal Democrats have been running a campaign opposing the closures all summer. Two public meetings were organised, thousands of local homes were leafletted and a 1000-strong petition was collected and presented to Post Office bosses. Liberal Democrats also met with Post Office bosses to set out their strong objections to the plans to close three local post offices.

The Post Office had undertaken to consider all the results of their consultation exercise before making a final decision in October. Despite the overwhelming opposition to the branches at Amwell Street, Copenhagen Street and St.Peter's Street closing though, the Post Office has written to the Council this week confirming the closure of the branch in Copenhagen Street on 5th October.

Liberal Democrat councillor Bridget Fox, who has led the Liberal Democrat campaign against the closures, said:

"Local people's cynicism about how genuine the Post Office's consultation about these closures was will not be helped by this premature decision to close the Copenhagen Street branch.

"Liberal Democrats made strong arguments for keeping all three branches open. Yet the Post Office has failed to listen to our concerns.

"It is just not on that the Post Office thinks that alternative branches within a mile's radius of Copenhagen Street are the answer. There are already long queues at the Caledonian Road and Upper Street post offices and a mile is a long way for the elderly and disabled. A bad situation is about to be made even worse locally."

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.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.