Sarah Carr launches massive new campaign to 'Protect our local Post Offices'

1.50.29pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 13th Jul 2009

Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Candidate for Hereford and South Herefordshire, today (13th July) launched a massive new campaign to 'Protect our local Post Offices' by requesting local people to write in with suggestions as to additional services they would like to see offered at their local Post Office.

This campaign is launched after the recent publication of a report into the future of the Post Office Network which highlights a number of practical measures that could be taken to help preserve this vital social service including allowing it to offer a much greater range of services.

Sarah Carr commenting said:

"Today I am launching a massive new campaign to protect our remaining Herefordshire Post Offices.

"A recent authoritative report by a cross-party group of MPs identified the need for Post Offices to offer additional services to combat declines in its traditional delivery business as being key to the Network's survival. As the ill-thought out closures programme in Herefordshire showed last year, the Post Office fulfills a highly valued community role that must be maintained. It is vital that we proactively work to protect our remaining Post Offices before they come under threat again.

"Given this I am requesting that local people contact me with their suggestions as to which additional services they would like their local Post Offices offer. I will collate all suggestions and present them to senior Post Office representatives as evidence of the types of services they could add to support and sustain our local branches.

"Examples of the sort of additional services that could be added to our local Post Offices include:

Central government services: e.g. payment of fines, leaflets about government services, application forms and information on energy saving schemes, and provision of popular government forms.

Local government services: providing internet access, setting up community information points, information on local and national consultations, able to pay council tax, rent, etc.

Financial services: free cash machines, access to bank accounts, offer loans, provide financial advice, wider range of savings options

Community Services: Double as a Tourist Information office, offer services such as a prescription collection service, take delivery of parcels/packages from mail orders for later collection.

"People can pass on their suggestions or get involved in helping the campaign by contacting me at: info@sarahcarr.org.uk, Sarah Carr, Liberal Democrats, Hereford House, 20 East Street, Hereford HR1 2LU or by telephone on 01432 265528.

"I will also continue to press for a review of the criteria used to assess whether a Post Office should close or not (the Post Office Assess Criteria). Under the current criteria, a further 4,500 post offices could be allowed to close, a third of the remaining network - this cannot be allowed to happen. The criteria should be altered to take full account of the social role these vital outlets play, not just the economic case."