'Urban' government failing post offices
Post offices are being forced to close by an “urban” Government which does not understand the countryside, a Midland MP has claimed. Owen Paterson (Con North Shropshire) said villages risked losing vital services as post offices went out of business. The crisis was a result of changes to the way benefits are paid, he said. Many claimants, including pensioners, once collected payments from their local post office, but the money is now paid directly into bank accounts.
As a result, post offices lost customers as well as losing the fee they received for administering benefits, said Mr Paterson. Trade and Industry Minister Barry Gardiner said the Government was providing pounds 150 million a year to help rural post offices – but warned that some would have to close.
