POST OFFICE CLOSURES IS THERE MORE TO COME?

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 2nd Dec 2004

Cllr Mulholland, who launched a campaign with local residents and action groups to prevent the closures of 6 local post offices, fears more closures are yet to come after the Post Office's decision to review the future of Crown Post Offices was announced.

Cllr Mulholland has once again written to the Post Office, this time asking for details of how this latest raft of closures could affect Post Office provision in Leeds and demanding an assurance that the service will not be further reduced.

Says Cllr Mulholland, "After the blow we have just suffered, the fear is that this will be the latest chapter in the decimation of the Post Office network. I want assurances from the Post Office that we will not see any more closures in the area".

The announcement made yesterday states that the Royal Mail chiefs have "plans to close around 30 Crown offices in the next 5 years." (Yorkshire Post 01/12/04) This is particularly concerning, says Councillor Mulholland, as the programme of national sub Post office branch closures had, according to Post Watch, been agreed on the basis that the Crown Post Offices would remain.

Councillor Mulholland explained "There is a feeling amongst the local people that this process will go on until there are virtually no community post offices left, and we will continue to fight this process with local residents and action groups."

Councillor Stewart Golton (Lib Dem) says, "We urge as many local residents as possible to voice their objections to the plans, it may be too late to save the 6 branches in Leeds North West however, we must do all we can to prevent any further closures."