Campaign to save post offices hots up

A third of all post offices in Birmingham could close as part of a national cost-cutting drive, it was claimed yesterday.

According to the the Liberal Democrats, Birmingham will be one of the hardest hit areas as the Post Office struggles to curb mounting losses.

Eleven of the 32 branches in Ladywood face closure, with seven under threat in Small Heath and Sparkbrook and five heading for closure in Hall Green, they claimed.

In other areas of the city they have already begun a campaign to save up to 16 Birmingham subpost offices from closure with petition forms delivered to 30,000 homes.

Lib Dems, backed by their Euro MP Liz Lynne, are circulating the Hands Off Our Post petition to households in Perry Barr, Great Barr and Kingstanding.

They fear that plans to close 3,500 of Britain’s 8,000 urban post offices will leave many, particularly the elderly and less well-off, without easy access to vital services.

Lib Dem trade spokesman Vincent Cable attacked the Government’s ‘curious silence’ over the planned restructuring and said: ‘These figures clearly show the potentially devastating impact that the scheme could have on local communities.’

But Labour Hall Green MP Steve McCabe hit back accusing the Lib Dems of ‘scare mongering’.

He said: ‘It’s all very well for the Lib Dems to make these claims across the board. They would have more impact if they could actually name the post offices under threat rather than just give numbers.

‘There has been a long-running restructuring of local post offices to get them to diversify and to have a more secure footing.’

The petition was launched by Coun Ray Hassall, (Perry Barr) and campaigner Jon Hunt.