Lib Dems help put post office closures on hold - for now

9.48.34am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 1st Sep 2004

Pressure from Islington's Liberal Democrat councillors has helped force Post Office bosses to put on hold the closure of two planned post office closures in the south of the borough.

Liberal Democrats presented a 1000-signature petition to the Post Office opposing the closures and met with Post Office bosses to discuss face-to-face why the closures would be bad news for Islington South & Finsbury. There have already been four post offices closed down in Islington and another four on the borough's boundaries in Camden, Haringey and Hackney.

Post Office chiefs announced this week that they would be going ahead with plans to close the branch at Copenhagen Street on 5th October. But the remaining two branch closures at Amwell Street and St. Peter's Street are 'being given further consideration'.

Liberal Democrat councillor Bridget Fox, who has led the Liberal Democrat campaign against the post office closures in Islington South & Finsbury, said:

"The Liberal Democrats have made their opposition to these post office closures clear from day 1.

"It is tragic that the Post Office has refused to listen to the community's views and is still going ahead with the closure of the Copenhagen Street branch office. But there is now at least a tiny ray of hope that the Post Office is considering the strength of feeling locally about the closure of the other Amwell and St. Peter's Streets offices.

"The alternatives at Mount Pleasant, Kings Cross or Upper Street are totally unsuitable or their future is not secure. The Post Office must now make sure that its commitment to consultation doesn't just look like just window-dressing and keep the post offices in Amwell and St. Peter's Street open."