ePolitix.com Stakeholder comment on the news that plans to close around 2,500 post offices by 2009 will go ahead.

Party Response: Conservatives

Shadow trade and industry secretary Alan Duncan said: "This government already holds the record for closing Post Offices faster than any other, they are now going to shut at least a further 2,500 branches over the next two years. 

"This confirms many peoples’ worst fears – our Post Office network is about to be decimated. By the time of the next election this government will have closed over one third of the entire Post Office network.

"This shows a lack of vision. It means that countless villages will lose their only shop and millions of vulnerable people will lose a service they depended upon.

"Ministers have taken no account of the needs of the elderly; of disabled people or of the most disadvantaged, the very ones who will lose out most as this closure programme rolls out. 

"Alistair Darling needs to explain to those people why he rejects Conservative proposals to give greater freedoms to Post Offices to allow them to compete, to encourage local councils to see what services they can provide through Post Offices and to make the Post Office Card Account a more flexible financial tool with much greater functionality."

Party Response: Liberal Democrats

Liberal Democrat trade and industry spokesman Susan Kramer said: "The government has given up on the Post Office. ministers are now only interested in managing its decline.

"The Liberal Democrats are the only party with a properly costed £2bn plan to secure the network’s long term future.

"This whole programme is clearly driven by the need to save money and has nothing to do with guaranteeing the long-term needs of people who rely on the Post Office for essential services."

"Why has the government chosen this moment to abolish Postwatch, just as it begins this mammoth closure program?"

Stakeholder Response: Federation of Small Businesses

To send a comment to the FSB click

FSB trade and industry chairman Clive Davenport said: "Post Offices are at the heart of the business community. Small businesses in particular rely heavily on a consistent and reliable service.

"Though many of our members have an understanding for the difficulty in sustaining the current post office network the FSB would welcome assurances that this is not the first in a series of announcements to abolish more post offices.

"There is a feeling among the FSB membership that this has so far been a rushed process and we urge politicians to genuinely listening to stakeholders' views."

Stakeholder Response: CPRE

To send a comment click

Emma Marrington, CPRE’s rural policy campaigner, said: "The case for supporting, rather than shutting rural post offices is a strong one and the government’s tinkering round the edges of their proposals clearly shows they realise this.

"But despite buying a bit more time for the existing network, and acknowledging the complexity of local circumstances, in the end, many post offices will close.

"For many rural communities and the people that visit them on holiday, life will be made more difficult and communities will be put under greater strain."

Stakeholder Response: Help the Aged

To send a comment to Help the Aged click

Mervyn Kohler, head of public affairs at Help the Aged, said: "There is no doubt that post office closures will leave thousands of UK pensioners devastated.

"Day in, day out pensioners rely on the post office network – for staying in contact with others and for practical services like paying bills and collecting benefits.

"But today’s announcement is not the first time older people have been faced with post office cuts – the network has taken a massive hammering over the last decade. 

"The government must now come up with alternatives that recognise the social and economic importance of the network and the vital role post office play in communities.

"For older people who don’t have access to a car or the internet and face being cut off from their local communities there is no time to lose."

Stakeholder Response: Age Concern

To send a comment to Age Concern click

Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, said: "It is good news that the availability of public transport will now be included in the criteria for post office closures, as this can be as much of a barrier as distance to accessing alternative services.

"But we’re still not convinced that the government has taken on board the need for postal services to be part of a positive, coherent and sustainable rural strategy.

"We are really disappointed that the government has failed to extend the local consultation period. Allowing just six weeks, instead of the usual 12, for local consultations betrays the government’s assertion that it wants to maintain a viable national network.

"Much more time is needed to conduct a thorough and meaningful consultation and actually take on board the concerns of those customers who will be affected most by closures.

"Proposing to implement the changes over an 18-month period also strongly suggests that key decisions have already been made and many older people will be left stranded by solutions that don’t fully take their needs into account. Our challenge to all MPs is to ensure that a proper consultation takes place in their constituency.

"Introducing outreach services is a good idea and will greatly help those communities where a stand-alone post office is not viable. But limiting the number to 500 is short-sighted. There should be as many outreach locations as needed, determined by a thorough local consultation to ensure that essential services are delivered effectively."