Editor: Rural post office saga too late for deliveries?

Apr 25 2008

I SEE that Gordon Banks MP has taken a bit of a (deserved?) hammering from Roseanna Cunningham MSP over his stance on post office closures.

In an impressive damage limitation exercise, Gordon is trying to turn the tables on his critics by asking Perthshire MSPs to support his “campaign” to have the Scottish Executive allocate funding to local authorities.

Since Gordon voted FOR the UK government’s programme of post office closures, it’s not surprising that Roseanna has taken him to task for having the “brass neck” to push this line.

But like it or lump it, Gordon makes a good point...and that is the money has to come from somewhere.

And while it is difficult to argue that the Labour government has “systematically pulled the rug out from under their financial” feet by removing pension and benefit service, it’s equally difficult to argue that if the UK government won’t finance the whole shebang, other funding opportunities will have to be identified.

But as Westminster and Holyrood play pass the parcel with our rural post office service, it seems that the only losers are the communities who rely on this lifeline.

STILL on the subject of the postal service, a Perth businessman phoned me this week to ask if the business mail service times have changed.

Once upon a time, his mail was delivered bright and early before 9am, but now the postie doesn’t put in an appearance till nearer midday.

For companies like his, who like to provide an overnight service, this is presenting more and more of a logistical challenge.

It also underlines how running down the post office affects the local economy.