Strange bedfellows fight for Post Office future

REPRESENTATIVES of dozens of organisations which would not normally be seen as allies met in London this week to protest about Government proposals for close 2,500 rural post offices.

They included people from trade unions and the Countryside Alliance, MPs from all parties, pensioners and the former socialist firebrand Tony Wedgewood-Benn, himself a one-time Postmaster General.

They were united by another sinister threat apart from office closures: the suggestion that the Royal Mail is about to abandon its legal duty to deliver mail to every address in the UK, however remote - a duty it has carried out for more than a century.

Simon Hart, Chief Executive of the Countryside Alliance said: "We all feel that the Government has missed the point on post Offices. Financial viability cannot be the only concern when considering whether to continue subsidising the Post Office Network.

"Post offices are the social heart of many communities, and without them many thousands of people, including many elderly and disabled, would be increasingly isolated. Following the removal of many key services, we are urging the Government to recognise the huge social benefit that they provide.

"Government must look at the bigger picture before deciding the fate of many of our local communities - people all over Britain are sending Government the clear message: we love our post offices, we love our countryside"