Keens must lobby harder for Post Offices - Dakers

12.00.00am GMT Sat 27th Jan 2007

Cllr Andrew Dakers in front of the Isleworth Post Office which was closed in the early 1990s

Hounslow Liberal Democrats celebrated tonight after their motion to full council calling for Hounslow's remaining post offices to be saved was carried with the full support of the Council. A proposed amendment by the Labour group suggesting that MPs Alan and Ann Keen were already lobbying government was met with scorn by the other council members and was not supported.

Cllr Andrew Dakers said:

"Nineteen Post Offices have been lost between 1999 and 2005 in Hounslow Borough (8 in Brentford & Isleworth constituency/ 11 in Feltham & Heston constituency). This is a reduction of about fifty percent in six years.

"Post Offices have provided a heart to many of our local communities for decades. For older members of our community they have been a convenient, safe and secure location to access a range of key services.

"As a result of the closures people walk further than ever before to access a post office and experience longer queues. If more close I do wonder how the elderly will be able to cope.

"Local retail businesses, for example at Albany Parade in Brentford, have already felt the impact of reduced trade when the local post office disappeared. This trend is backed up by national research from the New Economics Foundation.

"Hundreds of local residents have raised disappearing post offices as a concern on the doorstep and in surveys I've run over the past few years."

ENDS

NOTES TO EDITORS

Save Hounslow's remaining Post Offices

Proposer: Cllr Dakers

Seconder: Cllr Drew Morgan-Watts

This Council regrets the loss of 19 Post Offices between 1999 and 2005 in Hounslow Borough (8 Brentford & Isleworth/ 11 Feltham & Heston) and notes with concern the announcement by the Government on 14th December 2006 of Ministers plans to close 2500 Post Office branches across the UK.

This Council further notes the social importance of Post Offices to the well being of both communities and individuals in Hounslow.

This Council believes that the recently announced closure programme is unnecessary and calls on the government to:

1. End the branch closure programme;

2. Remove the Royal Mail restrictions on the Post Office to open up further business opportunities for the network;

3. Carry out a review of which additional local and central Government functions could be carried out through Post Offices as many existing services go online;

4. Invest in the Post Office network.

This Council welcomes the decision of the Government to withdraw its previous proposals to scrap completely the Post Office Card Account (POCA), but calls on Ministers to ensure that any replacement POCA should be open freely to all pensioners and benefit recipients who wants one.

This Council calls on the Government to avoid putting pressure on current and future POCA users to switch to having benefits and pensions paid directly into bank accounts.

This Council calls on the MPs for Brentford & Isleworth and Feltham & Heston to lobby Ministers to save the Post Office from gradual demolition and to protect this vital service for the people. This Council further calls on the MPs to report back to this council on their actions.