Over 99% Oppose Labour's Post Office Closures - Teather

4.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 10th Sep 2008

Sarah and local Liberal Democrats are fighting to save Brent's Post Offices

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather has obtained information from the Post Office showing that "less than 1%" of consultation respondents support the Labour Government's closure plans.

Gordon Brown's Government are set to close six Post Offices in Brent, and over 150 across the whole of London. Of the 27,600 people who took part in the consultation, a massive 99% wanted the Government to think again, with fewer than 276 backing Labour's plans.

Despite this overwhelming opposition from local people the Labour Government are proceeding with Brent's Post Office closures, after Brent's Labour MPs backed the closure plans in parliament.

Local Liberal Democrat MP for Brent East Sarah Teather said:

"These devastating figures show that Gordon Brown's Government have simply stopped listening to the people they are supposed to serve. Local people will quite rightly want to know why they should bother responding to a consultation when the Government stick their fingers in their ears and ignore the results.

"This latest wave of Post Office closures is tearing the heart out of local communities in Brent, placing a huge burden on surviving branches like Willesden Green, and hitting the elderly and vulnerable particularly hard. It is no wonder this policy has been so soundly rejected by Londoners.

"To brush aside the views of over 99% of respondents demonstrates an extraordinary arrogance from the Government. The only real say the public will have on Post Office closures will be at the ballot box at the next general election, when they make their judgement on the Labour Government.

"I will continue to do all I can to oppose this Government's damaging closure programme. In the light of such overwhelming public opposition Ministers should take their crippling closure plans back to the drawing board."