MP PREDICTS “UNHOLY ROW” OVER POST OFFICE CLOSURE PLAN

Angus MP and SNP Spokesperson on Trade and Industry, Mike Weir, has reacted angrily to reports suggesting that the government are about to announce a plan to allow Royal Mail to close one in five post offices.

“It is utterly scandalous that we have been waiting for many months for the government to announce what they intend to do and they now intend to slip out a disastrous plan just as Parliament is rising for the Christmas recess.  This is yet another example of the Government trying to bury bad news. If it is true and they do not intend to allow a Parliamentary vote then there will be an unholy row.

“When they last proposed a closer programme, the quaintly titled Urban Reinvention Programme, they allowed a parliamentary vote in which most Labour MPs supported closures.  It appears that they are now too afraid to allow parliament to have a debate on the matter since they know perfectly well there is huge anger at the way they have butchered the once great post office network.”

Mr Weir pointed out that if a large number of rural post offices were to close it would have disastrous consequences for many communities.  He also noted that the present plight of post offices was a direct result of government policy.

“The government claim that many post offices are uneconomic, yet it was direct government policy that took away much of their business and put them in this situation.  It is cynical in the extreme to make them uneconomic and then use that as the excuse to close them down.”