Five local post offices face closure as decision day looms

12.00.00am GMT Mon 11th Feb 2008

Local Liberal Democrat Prospective MP Mike Bell has warned that as many as five post offices in Weston-super-Mare and the surrounding villages could be designated for closure later this month.

As part of the Government's national post offices closure programme, the Post Office will reveal on 26 February which local post offices it wants to close and commence a short consultation with residents.

Mike Bell said: "Since 1999, five post offices have already been shut in and around Weston. Thousands of post offices have closed nationwide in the past few decades and the service is being stripped to the bone.

"The Government is expected to shut one-in-five of the remaining post offices. In our area that would mean at least five post offices being closed in Weston and the surrounding villages alone. The initial decision for Somerset will be announced later this month.

"With our post offices it is absolutely a case of use them or lose them. But more than that, communities across our area must be ready to fight to save their local post office.

"We should all be looking to Town and Parish councils and North Somerset Council as well to do more to help. They need to look at ways in which they can provide business, premises and rate relief to post offices under threat.

"Post offices are a vital hub in so many parts of our area. I want to keep all the remaining post offices open and, once the extent of the proposed closures is clear, I will be launching a campaign to help our community fight back."