11 August 2008
Following the Government’s decision earlier this year to close 12 post offices across the Cotswolds, local MP Geoffrey Clifton-Brown has been further inundated with correspondence regarding the Post Office Card Account.
A campaign has been led by the National Federation of Sub postmasters (NFSP) as the Government is currently deciding upon who should run the new Post Office Card Account from 2010. Whilst it is currently in the hands of Post Office Ltd, they are not certain to be re-awarded the contract.
Currently 4 million people a week access their benefits at the post office using the POCA and the NFSP has stated that they believe a further 3000 further branches will be forced to close if the contract is lost.
The NFSP have launched a postcard campaign encouraging people to contact their MP in support of the Post Office maintaining the contract. Mr Clifton-Brown has received over 500 such cards already.
Commenting on the issue Mr Clifton-Brown said “In the course of this year I have dealt with what have been the two issues with the highest volume of correspondence – unfortunately both have related to Post Offices”
“During the course of the round of closures earlier this year, myself and the rest of the party constantly chided the Government for managing the Post Offices decline, rather than supporting it. As if to prove our point this issue rears its head”
The MP is not surprised by the number of Post Cards he has received. As one of the most vocal MPs in support of Post Offices across his constituency, he is all too aware of the importance of these branches to small communities. Only last month Mr Clifton-Brown visited Wotton-under-Edge’s Post Office to be handed a number of these post cards and to hear first hand of the possible effects of the loss of the contract.
“With a prospective 3000 further closures spread across the country, there would inevitably be a disproportionate hit on rural areas such as the Cotswolds. This Government seemingly has no idea of the damage their policies continue to have on the wider country”
A campaign has been led by the National Federation of Sub postmasters (NFSP) as the Government is currently deciding upon who should run the new Post Office Card Account from 2010. Whilst it is currently in the hands of Post Office Ltd, they are not certain to be re-awarded the contract.
Currently 4 million people a week access their benefits at the post office using the POCA and the NFSP has stated that they believe a further 3000 further branches will be forced to close if the contract is lost.
The NFSP have launched a postcard campaign encouraging people to contact their MP in support of the Post Office maintaining the contract. Mr Clifton-Brown has received over 500 such cards already.
Commenting on the issue Mr Clifton-Brown said “In the course of this year I have dealt with what have been the two issues with the highest volume of correspondence – unfortunately both have related to Post Offices”
“During the course of the round of closures earlier this year, myself and the rest of the party constantly chided the Government for managing the Post Offices decline, rather than supporting it. As if to prove our point this issue rears its head”
The MP is not surprised by the number of Post Cards he has received. As one of the most vocal MPs in support of Post Offices across his constituency, he is all too aware of the importance of these branches to small communities. Only last month Mr Clifton-Brown visited Wotton-under-Edge’s Post Office to be handed a number of these post cards and to hear first hand of the possible effects of the loss of the contract.
“With a prospective 3000 further closures spread across the country, there would inevitably be a disproportionate hit on rural areas such as the Cotswolds. This Government seemingly has no idea of the damage their policies continue to have on the wider country”
