MP SLAMS POST OFFICE CLOSURES

Reacting to the government's statement in the House of Commons, Charles Hendry said: 'This announcement is both disappointing and wrong. It will bring fear and anxiety to people, often the most vulnerable, in every part of the country. It will destroy many good businesses, simply because the government does not have a long-term vision for the future of the Post Office network.'

Mr Hendry highlighted the fact that 4,000 post offices had closed already since Labour came to power in 1997. Taken with this statement, that means that in ten years of Labour Government over one third of the post office network will have closed.

Mr Hendry added: 'We all owe a huge debt of gratitude to our sub-postmasters, who provide such a fantastic service to their local communities. They tell us that what they want is not to depend on subsidy, but the opportunity to do more business and serve their customers, yet that is exactly what the government is denying them today.

'This statement is based on how many post offices the Secretary of State thinks he can get away with closing, rather than on a real business case or on an understanding of what the consumers, especially the most vulnerable in our society, want and need. His vision is to have fewer post offices, providing fewer services to fewer people.'