Leaked reports of the government’s Post Office closure plan reveal closures planned for Bathford, Lower Weston, Bear Flat and Claremont (Walcot). These closures add to the thousands which have been closed nationwide already and thousands planned in this round.

Bath MP Don Foster says, “The Government has withdrawn services from the Post Office left, right and centre over the years, and before them the Conservatives closed 3,000.  The two major parties look at the Post Office on purely economic grounds, and not as the vital service it provides to the community.

“Once again, it is the elderly and vulnerable that are the worst hit by these closures.  The knock-on effect on other local shops can be catastrophic.  In Mount Rd, where they lost their Post Office in the last round of cuts, one local trader told me his takings had dropped by 15%.

“I will be working hard and campaigning against these closures across Bath where local communities will be losing an important asset.  It is time that Labour and the Conservatives stood up and realised that the Post Office is of huge social benefit, and is not just a business.”

A Liberal Democrat motion at the Full Council meeting last week was approved opposing the closure programme in BathNES. An Overview and Scrutiny Panel will dicuss the closures on 18th March, please phone 01225 394458 if you wish to contribute to this discussion. An on-line petition is available at www.ourcampaign.org.uk/savebathspostoffices.