As many as 16 post offices in Shropshire could be earmarked for closure when the hit-list is officially published next week, reports our London Editor John Hipwood.
The Shropshire Star has learned that the closure programme will be spread across the county, but will particularly affect rural villages where the post office is often the centre of community life.
The Government has said that plans to close up to 1,500 offices will go ahead and last week ministers rejected a Conservative appeal in the Commons for the programme to be suspended.
However, Post Office minister Pat McFadden has said that individual closures will be subject to consultation, and Shropshire’s Tory MPs pledged today they would fight plans “tooth and nail”.
All five county MPs are being briefed on the proposals before the official announcement is made by the Post Office next Tuesday. Ironically, the hardest hit area is likely to be south Shropshire, whose MP Philip Dunne is secretary of the all-party post offices group in Parliament.
Mr Dunne refused to comment before the official announcement other than to say: “I am fearful that rural areas will bear the brunt.”
Wrekin MP Mark Pritchard said: “If it is true that 16 post offices are to close, it will be another body blow to Shropshire. I will fight these closures all the way.”
Owen Paterson said: “I am very hostile to any closures.”
Shrewsbury & Atcham MP Daniel Kawczynski said: “I am deeply shocked and appalled if the closures mentioned to me are accurate.”
Labour MP David Wright said: “I shall look at the details of the closure programme, and if any are to be shut in Telford, I shall work with the community to make the case for post offices.”
It was also revealed today that Shropshire County Council leaders will be meeting with Post Office managers next Thursday to discuss closure plans.
Council leader Malcolm Pate and cabinet member for economy, John Hurst-Knight, will be attending along with councillors whose areas contain threatened branches.
By John Hipwood
Picture: Dany Lawson/PA Wire
4 Comments
Post Office is just another business like any others when there’s no business you will closed for good.
Look’s like time has caught up with Post Office this time as the World are using E-mail instead of walking all the way to the Post Office just to post your letter and still wondering if your letter will arrive safe, the old days of collecting your money for mth edole office are over too and what’s the use of Post Office anymore !
will Mark Pritchard fight this all the way before or after he asks more questions like his recent one about NHS Transgender operations in Parliament?
What we should be looking at is the way the Labour MPs
voted in the Commons and what they are doing in their
constituencies. The indications are that a number of Labour
MPs campaigned against closures in their constituencies
but voted for the closures in the debate. David, Post Offices
deal with many other things besides letters and postage,
not all people have Email access and whilst I agree that
it is right to close them if they have absolutely no firm
business footing to hold onto, it will be a sorry thing
to take that step which should only be done after searching
enquiry.
Re, the above, the Sunday papers reveals that Tessa Jowell
was and is campaigning against the closure of the Post
Office in Gypsy Hill in her constituency in South London.
She did not however, mention when she accepted a petition against the
closure and told those handing it to her that her campaign
against the closure would continue, that only a week before
she had voted for the closure of 2,500 POs in the debate
in the house. This figure included the closure of the
Gypsy Hill branch.
This woman goes in the house by the title, “the Right
Honourable Minister”. I wonder if her constituents think
that is an apt title for this duplicitous woman.