3640 local residents to be affected by closure of Post Office card account

12.01.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 19th Oct 2006

Commenting on new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats, showing that over 3640 people in the Newbury area currently use the post office card account to receive their pensions or benefits, local Liberal Democrat Councillor Roger Hunneman said:

"It is astonishing that the Government plans to shut this highly successful and useful service. They are destroying a service which is of great value to many people in West Berkshire and the country as a whole. It is an accessible and affordable way for local pensioners and families to receive their benefits, yet the Government is proposing to axe it.

"Closing the post office card account will make it even harder for small post offices to remain open. We've already faced Post Office closures in this area in recent years, forcing elderly folk and mothers without cars to make long round trips to their nearest post offices."

In a report published yesterday, the national watchdog of postal services, Postcomm, has blamed the government withdrawal of services for post office closures. An Age Concern Report published earlier this month described post offices as a 'pensioner lifeline'.

Commenting further on these reports, Councillor Hunneman said:

"The Government must pay far greater heed to the effects the closure of post offices have on a community - nearly 8 out of 10 people feel that the closure of their local post office would present a loss of essential local services."

ENDS

1. The Age Concern report findings on Post Offices can be found at http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/BBA8F3E6C959416E9437E36F9B00EBD4.asp

2. The Postcomm report can be viewed at:

http://www.psc.gov.uk/news-and-events/news-releases/2006/government-must-decide-quickly-the-future-of-a-post-office-network-that-is-at-the-crossroads.html