Southampton's Lib Dems take the fight for your Post Offices directly to No.10

10.20.06pm GMT Tue 6th Mar 2007

Cllr Peter Galton, Cllr Ken Darke and Cllr Sue Jackson hand in Post Office petition at No.10 Downing Street

Post offices are the lifeblood of communities in both rural and urban areas, particularly when they are combined with other services, such as the local shop. When the local post office closes other services often follow suit, which can be devastating for the community. That is why Liberal Democrats across the city have been fighting to save your Post Offices and that is why we have taken the fight directly to the Prime Minister Tony Blair in Downing Street.

Cllr Adrian Vinson & Cllr Jill Baston protest outside a Portswood Post Office

This fight for the people of Southampton was done in the face of false claims from the Labour Party in Southampton. In December the Coxford Labour Party 'Rose' newsletter claimed Aldermoor Road Post Office closure, "has nothing to do with the Government." The fact is on 14th December 2006, the Government announced a grand scheme to reduce rising losses and the problem of fewer people using the Post Office network. It's not about increasing the service available and it's not about freeing the Post Office from stupid Government red tape. No it's rather more basic all together. It's to shut about 2,500 more offices!!.

Cllr Gerry Drake and Cllr John Slade outside the doomed Merryoak Post Office

The Independent Newspaper described this as, "the fastest closure programme in the history of the network". The Federation of Small Businesses described the plans as "post office carnage" and the National Pensioners Convention said the Government had "blood on its hands".

Redbridge Campaigner Paul Russell and Cllr Steve Sollitt protest at Wimpson Post Office Closure

Strangely the Labour candidate for Coxford has been telling people not to sign our petition opposing the Government's plans even though they could lead to every Post Office in the ward being closed.

Cllr David Simpson takes up the baton in Woolston

This Labour government has the same policy on Post Offices as the previous Conservative one, i.e :-

Yes Tony Lib Dem councillors in Coxford wish to keep their Post Office

• Don't invest in the service, just subsidise it

• Don't really change the system, just tinker with it

• As losses mount shut Post Offices under the disguise of improvement or investment plans.

Under the last Tory government about 3,500 Post Office were shut, under this Labour one about 4,000 have shut already since 1997.

The final decision on which Post Offices will close has not been made and Royal Mail have not yet published any list to show which Post Office branch's will be affected. However Royal Mail has made their position on the Post Office network clear as the BBC reports before Christmas indicated. The Post Office network is not a key part of the Royal Mail business and so the Royal Mail simply wishes to close it down. If it was interested in the revitalising the service then it would be make the changes proposed by the Liberal Democrats and not simply shut branches as quickly as possible.

The real truth is the Post Office network has been undermined by its owners the Government which is failing to take the necessary action to revitalise the service, whilst at the same time remove services from the Post Office.

Here in Southampton and across the rest of the country, the Liberal Democrats are leading the fight against these closures and we have set out clear plans to improve the network and keep it as a viable business long into the future, we would:-

• split the Post Office Ltd from Royal Mail, so they are two separate organisations, thus freeing the Post Office from Royal Mail restrictions and freeing the Royal Mail from having to maintain a Post Office network and so enable it to compete on an equal footing with other post carriers

• sell 49% of shares in Royal Mail, to raise £2 billion, to create an investment fund for the Post Office, but keep 100% of the Post Office in the public sector

• enable Post Offices to invest in new business without current restrictions, e.g. as mini parcel depots for Royal Mail & private firms, as the shop front for local and central government, as fully integrated small businesses to provide a range of local services, as a local bank with cash machines & terminals in post offices allowed to be on the Link network.

• give Royal Mail staff 50% of the remaining shares, in a John Lewis style trust

• make Royal Mail into a successful company, with new investment freedoms - free Royal Mail from Treasury borrowing controls so it can invest in a brighter future

Commenting on the Government plans for the Post Office network Southampton Lib Dem leader Adrian Vinson said :-

"This Government must wake up and make essential changes to the Post Office service as we have proposed otherwise will lose completely this great national network, shutting offices does not equate to saving the network"

Thousands of people across the country have joined the campaign and there is still time to help by signing our on-line petition :-

http://www.libdems.org.uk/commerce/issues/postoffice.html

Related Links:

BBC report - Thousands of post offices 'to go' .

BBC report - 2,500 post offices face closure.

The Independent - Government to shut down 2,500 post offices .