Sarah Carr Urges Communities to Fight to Save Local Post Offices

11.55.34am BST (GMT +0100) Sat 30th Aug 2008

Post Offices are under threat across the county

Sarah Carr is urging all local communities to rise up in protest should their local post office appear on the closure hit list on Wednesday 27th August. Mrs Carr has condemned the secrecy surrounding the consultation on the future of Herefordshire post offices with sub-postmasters and mistresses and Members of Parliament having had to agree to confidentiality agreements that they will not tell anyone about the closures in advance of 27th August. Sarah Carr commented:

"It is ridiculous that sub-postmasters and mistresses have been banned from telling their local community that they are going to be shut and that even their local MP has been banned from disclosing which communities are on the hit list. Having spent the last 10 days with a team of volunteers delivering thousands of leaflets across South Herefordshire alerting local residents to the forthcoming consultation, I am also aware that there is huge distrust and cynicism that the consultation is a sham and that despite local protest the closures are set in stone."

"I am urging that the government and Post Office Ltd listen not only to the pleas, but to the arguments that will be put to them to save our local post offices, which are based on facts, statistics and detail. If they do not listen there will be disastrous consequences on rural and urban communities in Herefordshire.

"As soon the list is announced I will lead a 'day of protest' against the closures where I will visit every post office affected and listen to the views of local residents. It is very important to have the local community and its postmaster be seen to be pulling together to save their post office. The post office is a vital part of the local community and we must all fight tooth and nail to prevent its closure."