GOVERNMENT ACTION ON POST OFFICES "TEARING THE HEART OUT OF RURAL COMMUNITIES"

Angus MP Mike Weir has reacted angrily to reports that the UK government is proposing to end the financial assistance given to the Post Office in respect of the Post Office Card Account.

Commenting on the proposal Mr Weir said that the action would destroy what chance there remained of maintaining the rural post office network and would lead to a programme of closure to rival the destruction of urban sub post offices.    

“The withdrawal of this funding will be another crushing blow to rural post offices. Taken with the ending of the rural subsidy it will lead to a massive closure programme tearing the heart out of many communities in rural Scotland.”

“The previous decision of the UK government to transfer payment of benefits to banks took away 40% of the business of sub post offices overnight. The Card Account was supposed to help them retain some business. It’s removal will leave many offices uneconomic.”

“The present UK government neither seems to know nor care that rural post offices provide an important social function and cannot be regarded purely as businesses. The closure of the post offices will fuel a further cycle of decline in many communities.”