Overwhelming Support for Lib Dem Motion: Save Our Post Offices

4.23.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 20th Feb 2008

Nigel Roberts proposed the motion to Council to Save Bath's Post Offices

Bath and North East Somerset Council voted last night to oppose Post Office closures in the district. A Liberal Democrat motion calling for the Council to speak out in the consultation process, which begins on Monday, and recruit the support of local MPs, was overwhelmingly adopted.

Councillor Nigel Roberts (Odd Down), who moved the motion, said, "I'm delighted that the Council supported our motion supporting local Post Offices - I hope that the Council having spoken out like this will lend weight to the campaign to stop the closures.

"Post Offices are of intrinsic value to communities and are one of the things which help define a 'community' - their closure affects the community in many ways and particularly affects older people, disabled people and those without easy access to transport.

"Post Office closures can lead to the decline of local shopping areas, isolation of older people and increased traffic congestion as people have to travel to reach Post Office services.

A Labour amendment - which sought to water down the motion by replacing the wording: "Council resolves to oppose the Post Office closure programme" with "Council resolves to support the continuation of Post Offices where they have public support" - was overwhelmingly rejected by the Council.

The motion was supported by all Councillors present except the 5 Labour members who abstained in the final vote.

"I was disappointed to see that the Labour Council Group have, like the Government, seemingly ignored the social benefit of the Post Office, choosing instead to judge it on purely economic terms. Their figure of "30 people a day" not being economically viable does not take into account the fact that closing the Post Office could cause the main business and other local shops to close. This is not what residents, especially those who rely on their local community, want to hear," added Councillor Roberts.

You can learn more about the Lib Dem campaign, including how to take part in the consultation, by visiting http://ourcampaign.org.uk/savebathspostoffices