Countryside Alliance - love the countryside

The successful National Post Office Week was held from 19th - 23rd February, and saw thousands of people across the country show their support for their local service.

A national rally and lobby was held in London on Tuesday 20th February at which Alliance Chief Executive Simon Hart joined Tony Benn MP and representatives from a wide vareity of organisations in voicing their support for the network. 

The aim of the week was to raise the profile of the Government consultation on the future of the Post Office Network. The consultation closed on March 8th and a swift  set of proposals from Government was hoped for - no such luck. One of the main proposals in the consultation was a plan to close 2,500 Post Offices which had been classed as ‘economically unviable’.  We pointed out at the time that this proposal could hit rural communities the hardest as they are most vulnerable from the criteria published by the Government for identifying closures, so highlighting the social importance of the network is vital.  Sub-Postmasters continue to wait anxiously for proposals that are now not expected until May - sometime after the local elections.

Indeed, a letter to the Daily Telegraph, published on 27th March 2007, sums up the situation. Read Somerset man Derek Yeomans' letter here. We all share his concerns.

Countryside Alliance Chairman Kate Hoey MP also made the case for Post Offices being a local election issue when she wrote Lifeline to millions for Farmers Weekly magazine. Read the piece here

The Countryside Alliance is working with a coalition of high profile organisations to ensure the secure the future of a sustainable Post Office network and we will continue to lobby Government in order to achieve this. The coalition consists of Age Concern, Citizens Advice, Countryside Alliance, Communication Workers Union, Local Works, National Federation of SubPostmasters, National Pensioners Convention and the Royal National Institute of the Blind.

From a practical point of view, those concerned about this issue can contact their MP, MSP and Assembly Members about the motions listed below and request that they add their name if they have not already done so.

• MPs can sign Early Day Motion 902 – Future For Our Post Office (No 2) – submitted to the House of Commons by Kate Hoey MP . 
• Members of the Scottish Parliament can support Members Business Motion (Scottish Parliament) – submitted by Cathy Peattie MSP. 
• Welsh Assembly Members can support a Statement of Opinion (Welsh Assembly) submitted by Denise Idris Jones AM – (this has already been supported by almost half of the Assembly).