Labour Must Stop Playing Politics With Brent Post Offices - Teather

10.49.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 29th Nov 2007

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather has condemned the Government's decision to suspend the Post Office closures programme until after the London Mayoral elections next year.

In a letter to Post Masters obtained by the Liberal Democrats, Royal Mail announce that they "have been asked by Government to introduce a freeze on the Network Change Programme during the run up to these elections. Specifically, we shall not be running any public consultations, nor making any closure decisions, in the period immediately prior to elections from April 7th to May 2nd 2008".

In the letter Royal Mail admit that "the closure of any Post Office can be highly sensitive and can potentially become a local political issue."

A quarter of Brent's Post Offices have already been closed since Labour came to power. The Government has previously refused Sarah's calls to publish the full list of Post Offices now at risk.

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:

"Post Offices are the bedrock of our communities and vital for older people and those with young children. It is outrageous that the Labour Government are willing to play politics with such a valued resource.

"Labour have continually refused to say which Post Offices are at risk. If local Post Offices are set to be axed then Londoners have a right to know so they can have their say at the ballot box. The truth is that Labour know these closures are deeply unpopular and are running scared.

"To place a gun to the Post Office's head and ask them to do the Labour party's bidding is a gross abuse of Government power. Instead of cynically seeking to delaying closures until after the elections, Gordon Brown should take Post Office closures off the table for good."

Notes:

The Government have previously refused Sarah Teather's requests to publish the full list of 2,500 Post Offices set for closure:

http://www.theyworkforyou.com/wrans/?id=2007-09-03a.140703.h&s=post+offices+speaker%3A11350#g140703.q0