PO plight (From Penarth Times)

PO plight

I WRITE with reference to the front page article in last week's Penarth Times and the local Labour party press officer's letter in the same edition regarding the possible closure of three local post office branches.

While we applaud the local Labour party for their action last Saturday in gathering a petition in Windsor Road, it must be remembered that it was local Conservatives who, as long ago as last July as reported in the Penarth Times, raised our concerns at the plight of both rural and urban sub postmasters.

With the co-operation of sub-postmasters across Cardiff South and Penarth, the Conservative Prospective Assembly Candidate, Dianne Rees, collected over 5,000 signatures to a petition addressed to the Assembly Minister, Edwina Hart.

The petition called for local authorities to be allowed to give the same discretionary rate reduction to urban post offices as enjoyed by those in rural areas.

As Mr Barrett has indicated in a letter to me, the possible closures are a result of falling customer numbers, increased costs and "further customer losses once the Department for Work and Pensions starts to move benefit payments from passbooks to bank accounts".

I hope the local Labour Party will support the action of Conservatives and bring pressure to bear on the Assembly Members and MPs.

John F Fraser Chairman, Cardiff South and Penarth Conservative Association Coleridge Avenue