MP Gordon Banks calls on local politicians to join save Post Offices campaign

Apr 15 2008

OCHIL and South Perthshire MP Gordon Banks called on local politicians to “support him in his bid to retain post offices in his constituency.”

It comes after Mr Banks voted against a motion to suspend post office closures.

He said: "Campaigning to retain every Post Office is not a sustainable position unless there is an objective of how this can be achieved.

"Royal Mail have made it clear that individual Post Offices within the closure programme can be reassessed during the consultation process but that this is likely to have knock on effects.

"I have written to Roseanna Cunningham MSP, and John Swinney MSP asking them to support me in a campaign to have the Scottish Executive allocate funding to local authorities, to allow the postal network to remain intact.”

"I look forward to them joining me in this campaign.

"I have also written to every Sub Postmaster in Ochil and South Perthshire advising them of my action as well as offering to meet them and discuss the situation, if they so wish."

Mr Banks came in for heavy criticism from SNP politicians in Perthshire last month, for voting with the Government on post office closures.

Roseanna Cunningham MSP said: “On a vote to suspend the post office closures - and look again at support for post offices, alternatives such as community or council ownership, the London Labour Government came within 20 votes of being defeated.

“SNP, Tory and Lib Dem MPs voted to suspend the closures as did 19 English Labour rebels. However, no Scottish Labour MPs voted to stop the closures.

“It has been clear from the closures that have been announced in other areas that there is a very good chance that Perthshire can expect to brace itself for losing a number of local post offices when the list for Tayside is announced this month.

“It is very disappointing, therefore, that the MP who represents a large swathe of my constituency in Westminster didn’t have the courage to join some of his English colleagues and vote for this Post Office cull to be put on hold and re-examined.

“Given that we do not yet know what lies in store for Perthshire Post Offices he could, at the very least, have abstained.”