Bridgwater - Somerton & Frome - Taunton - Wells - Yeovil
BROWNE PRESENTS PETITION AND STEPS UP CAMPAIGN AGAINST POST OFFICE CLOSURES
Taunton constituency MP Jeremy Browne has presented a petition to the House of Commons calling on the Government to save local post offices from closure. An announcement is expected on 26 February on which post offices in Somerset will be shut.
In the House of Commons, Jeremy Browne said:
Mr. Jeremy Browne (Taunton) (LD) rose—
I wish to present a petition about the widespread concern in Somerset about the post office closures proposed for later this month, which will have a major impact on isolated communities, local businesses and vulnerable people, particularly pensioners. The petition reads:
The Petition of residents of Taunton constituency and others,
Declares that the government are proposing to shut 2,500 Post Offices which represents 1-in-5 of the present total. This will hit local communities in Somerset hard.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to save our vital Post Offices which offer an essential service to communities across Taunton constituency.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
Jeremy Browne said afterwards:
“Decision day is looming on the fate of post offices across Somerset. On 26 February the Government is expected to announce the closure of one-in-five post offices in our area.
“It cannot be right to pick a national target for closures and then impose that on every community in the country. We have already lost dozens of post offices in our area over recent decades. Shutting one-in-five of the remaining post offices will have a very damaging effect on some local communities.
“The Postwatch organisation, which should be defending the network, is saying that opposition to closures on this scale is futile and that local residents are wasting their time campaigning to save their post office. I disagree with that stance because it is essential that the concerns of residents are heard.
“The Government seems to be ignorant about the essential role that post offices have in many communities. They are particularly valued by vulnerable people who often live in isolation and without private transport.”
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Taunton constituency MP Jeremy Browne has presented a petition to the House of Commons calling on the Government to save local post offices from closure. An announcement is expected on 26 February on which post offices in Somerset will be shut.
In the House of Commons, Jeremy Browne said:
Mr. Jeremy Browne (Taunton) (LD) rose—
I wish to present a petition about the widespread concern in Somerset about the post office closures proposed for later this month, which will have a major impact on isolated communities, local businesses and vulnerable people, particularly pensioners. The petition reads:
The Petition of residents of Taunton constituency and others,
Declares that the government are proposing to shut 2,500 Post Offices which represents 1-in-5 of the present total. This will hit local communities in Somerset hard.
The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Secretary of State for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to save our vital Post Offices which offer an essential service to communities across Taunton constituency.
And the Petitioners remain, etc.
Jeremy Browne said afterwards:
“Decision day is looming on the fate of post offices across Somerset. On 26 February the Government is expected to announce the closure of one-in-five post offices in our area.
“It cannot be right to pick a national target for closures and then impose that on every community in the country. We have already lost dozens of post offices in our area over recent decades. Shutting one-in-five of the remaining post offices will have a very damaging effect on some local communities.
“The Postwatch organisation, which should be defending the network, is saying that opposition to closures on this scale is futile and that local residents are wasting their time campaigning to save their post office. I disagree with that stance because it is essential that the concerns of residents are heard.
“The Government seems to be ignorant about the essential role that post offices have in many communities. They are particularly valued by vulnerable people who often live in isolation and without private transport.”
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