A severely disabled woman from Hastings is seeking a High Court ruling today that the ongoing closure of post offices has been unlawfully allowed without proper regard to the rules against disability discrimination.
Judy Brown wants a judicial review of decisions made by the Government and the Post Office to axe 2,500 post offices - including her local Old Town branch - claiming they discriminate against her and other disabled people.
Mrs Brown, of Rock-A-Nor
e Road, claims that former Business Secretary John Hutton - now superseded by Peter Mandelson - acted unlawfully by exempting the Post Office from laws requiring public bodies to promote equality for the disabled.
When Mrs Brown was given permission to bring the case last May, Mr Justice Davis said post offices formed an important part of the social fabric of communities, but whether it was desirable for them to close was not the sole question.
Fair-minded people would recognise that something had to be done when the post office system was losing £4 million a week.
The judge said there were forceful arguments against Mrs Brown's case, but he had "with some reluctance" decided to grant permission on the basis that she had "just about enough" grounds for argument.
The court heard that Mrs Brown used Old Town post office for banking, payment of bills, shopping, correspondence and presents for grandchildren.
She was unable to visit more distant post offices.
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