Robert Brown slams Glasgow Post Office Closure Plans

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 23rd Oct 2007

Glasgow Liberal Democrat MSP Robert Brown has reacted angrily to proposals to close 20 Post Offices in Glasgow, saying they will leave the elderly and vulnerable quite isolated.

The Post Office Area Plan Proposal for Greater Glasgow, Central Scotland and Argyll and Bute sets out plans to close 20 branches all over Glasgow, from Carmunnock in the south side to Crow Road in the West End.

Branches in Govanhill, Carmunnock, Muirend, Croftfoot, Hyndland, Dumbarton road and Kelvindale are all set for closure under the plans.

In some areas, such as Carmunnock, the nearest available Post Office - Castlemilk - is nearly two miles away, with no direct public transport route. For the elderly and disabled, it could mean two long bus journeys to reach their nearest Post Office.

The Liberal Democrats are the only party who have set out plans to save the Post Office network with additional investment, and have long been at the forefront of the national "save our post offices" campaign.

Robert Brown said:

"It is shocking that 20 Post Offices are threatened with closure in this new proposal, it's a huge chunk of Post Offices in Glasgow. What worries me is accessibility for those who are elderly or have mobility problems - they'll have to travel further - and the erosion of community feeling that inevitably follows after a local closure.

"These closures are completely unnecessary and it's obvious that there are ways of sustaining post offices without breaking the bank. What's missing is the Government's willingness to do so.

"The Government are trying to claim there is no alternative to the closure programme. They are wrong. The Liberal Democrats have put forward a fully funded plan for an additional £2 billion investment in the Post Office that would create a thriving network.

"The Post Office network is slipping away. Over the last two decades, Post Offices have been closing at a rate of over 300 a year. Under the last Conservative Government, 3,500 local post offices closed, and under Labour another 4,000 have closed, hitting communities across the country.

"The loss of business for the local post offices was not helped by the Government plan not to extend its contract beyond 2010 for pension and benefit payments using the Post Office Card Account, which is worth £1 billion of income for post offices between 2003 and 2010.

"A replacement will be put in place but the competitive tender process means that the Post Office could lose this work altogether. But at a time like this, the UK government should be supporting its Post Offices.

"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, creating a kind of isolation, which can be devastating for the community.

"It is shocking that so many Post Offices are to close in the West End. Hyndland, Kelvindale, Dumbarton road and Crow Road Post Offices are all used by many people, it's a busy area and local people rely on the local Post Office network.

"It's quite outrageous that this plan suggests closure of local Post Offices and recommends the new nearest Post Office without a thought for the fact there isn't always public transport to take people there from their local communities.

"For many people it's going to be a long walk, but for many older or disabled people, it may well be impossible for them to travel a journey which could include two buses - the only option if Govanhill, Croftfoot or Carmunnock close.

"So it is vital that the true social value of this network is realised as well as its economic value when looking at the long-term future of the Glasgow network.

"I welcome the local public consultation and would urge everyone to write to the consultation team and join the Liberal Democrat campaign to save our local Post Offices"

Ends

Notes for Editors

Liberal Democrat 5 point plan to save the Post Office network:

1) Open new post office branches where they are needed

2) Keep the Post Office in the public sector

3) Make the Royal Mail into a successful company, with new investment freedoms

4) Give Royal Mail staff a guaranteed stake in their company through employee share holding and participation

5) Protect and improve the service to customers that provides a daily delivery at a uniform price across the country