Plaid increases pressure against Post Office closures
Plaid Cymru this week stepped up the campaign to save sub post offices in Wales. In Westminster Plaid MPs called to re-allocate contracts and to provide adequate funding for sub post offices and colleagues in Cardiff Bay put pressure on the Assembly Government to make representations to the UK Government opposing the planned closures.
In an Early Day Motion tabled in Parliament Plaid’s Westminster Leader, Elfyn Llwyd MP, called on Members of Parliament to join him in condemning post office closure plans and to support the party’s campaign to save threatened rural post offices in Wales.
Also this week Plaid launched their online petition opposing sub post office closures: www.saveourpostoffices.plaidcymru.org. The petition will be presented to the DTI.
Although post offices are in the private sector they do provide a vital public service, especially in rural areas where they often double up as the only retail outlet for miles.
In taking away vital income streams such as television licence and the processing of benefits and pension entitlement, the Government has made it practically impossible for sub postmasters and mistresses to earn a living and is forcing them to close their businesses.
It is Plaid’s priority to put pressure on the DTI to re-allocate contracts and provide adequate funding to sub post offices to expand on the services they offer.
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Get your voice heard - the rural post office network - www.ruralaction.org.uk
Everyone has a view on the future of the rural post office network - but will everyone's views be heard? Perhaps you have a good idea on the future of the network; perhaps your own experience shows a vital aspect has been over-looked. Now there is a simple way to get your point across quickly and easily. The recent popularity in 'blogging' - contributing to a weblog or online message board - has inspired ruralnet|uk to set up a blog for this issue: a simple technique allowing thousands to add their personal comments to the debate. Over half of all UK homes have access to an online computer - as well as libraries, youth clubs, schools, day centres, UK online centres, and even some Post Offices! Anyone with an interest can visit the blog and leave their comment on the consultation questions, and read what others are saying.
ruralnet|uk Chief Executive, Simon Berry said "Government consultations are all very well, but they are time consuming and complicated. Fine for the professionals but not for the people affected. It will take just a few moments for anyone to have their say in our collective consultation and their views will go straight to the government."
Visit www.ruralaction.org.uk, click any of the ‘Comment’ links and have your say. You can comment on as little or as much as you like. It is as simple and quick as that. There is no printing or sending to do.
At the end of the consultation period, ruralnet|uk undertakes to summarise objectively all the comments received, and feed them into the Government’s consultation procedure. Says Simon: "We were the first to use the internet to run a collective consultation on the ‘first’ rural white paper way back in the spring of 1999 when we received 1154 contributions. It was said to be "one of the most useful submissions received”. So we know that a collective view from rural people, presented by us will carry a lot of weight.
So, don't be left out: go to www.ruralaction.org.uk state your views and have an impact on the future of post office services in rural areas.
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