Protect Our Post Offices

5 post offices are to be axed in Burton and Uttoxeter under a deal between the Post Office & the Government.  Branches in High Street and Stappenhil in Burton, Heath in Uttoxeter, and in Marchington and Mayfield will be shut.

Having already closed 4,000 Post Offices, the Government has announced the closure of a further 3,000 sub-Post Offices, with a looming threat to another 5,000 Post Offices.

This is simply unacceptable. The Federation of Post Masters and Mistresses agree this will devastate many communities. Post Offices are more than just a convenience, they offer vital services to the elderly, the unemployed, and those on low wages. Literally thousands of pensioners in East Staffordshire rely on the Post Office Card Account. It is those in the community that often have the least, who will suffer most if Post Offices are closed on this scale.

This is why Andrew Griffiths is launching a Petition to Protect Our Post Offices.

The Petition urges the Government to stop action which will lead to the immediate closure of Post Offices, calling for an urgent review of funding for Post Offices and the services they offer. In particular, it presses for the following measures:

• encourage local councils to consider opening ‘council counters’ in local branches;

• give sub-post offices greater freedom to offer a wider range of commercial products; and

• push for more post offices to be 'one stop shops' for central Government services.

It calls on Ministers to allow Post Offices to continue to serve as the cornerstone of the community, for individuals, business and the most vulnerable in society.

Andrew said, “When I speak to sub-postmasters in Burton and Uttoxeter, they tell me that they do not want to depend on subsidy; they want the opportunity to do more business and serve their customers. And that is exactly what the Government is denying them: a strong Post Office network, not held back and undermined by the Government, but allowed to flourish and offer a full range of services for everyone.”

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