Liberal Democrat action on Post Offices embarrasses Labour MP (Ipswich Liberal Democrats)

Ipswich Liberal Democrats <info@ipswichlibdems.org.uk>

Liberal Democrat action on Post Offices embarrasses Labour MP

May 25, 2006 8:51 PM

Andrew Cann 'Our NHS problems in Suffolk will not be solved until the Government changes it's funding formula'.

Andrew Cann "Ipswich Labour MP must start backing local services".

Support for the County's Post Office network was unanimously endorsed at today's meeting of Suffolk County Council. The Liberal Democrats had put forward a motion calling on the Government to continue support to local Post Offices, which are under threat due to reduction of business from Government and other agencies. The motion also called for support for Early Day Motion 1531, which asks the Government to rethink its policy of withdrawing the Post Office Account Card. It also asked the Council to look at ways in which Council and other public sector bodies could work with the Post Office to deliver services jointly.

Andrew Cann, Deputy Leader of the group said, "We were surprised but pleased that Labour councillors agreed that the Government is not doing enough to secure the future of our local Post Offices. They even supported the call for their own MP, Chris Mole, to sign the Early Day Motion. This is a wake up call for this MP who has failed to stop Post Office closures in Ipswich."

The agreed motion reads:

I. Write to the Minister responsible for Post Offices and allied services to register the Council's concerns, and to seek assurances that there will be the fullest consultation before any critical decisions are taken.

II. Write to local MPs to express the Council's concern over the future of the rural Post Office network and to stress the importance that Post Offices play in rural life, encouraging them to sign Early Day Motion 1531.

III. Write to the Minister responsible for Post Offices and allied services to argue that the decision to pilot the cessation of the Post Office Card Account is flawed so long as no alternative is in place within the Post Office Service, to equal the offer of the High Street Banks, to enable money transactions to be activated.

IV. Make every effort in its activities to support local Post Offices and to promote the use of Post Office services and new methods of service delivery to the Council's residents and urges the Cabinet to consider ways in which this can be done.

3. Early Day Motion 1531:

ABOLITION OF THE POST OFFICE CARD ACCOUNT 31.01.2006

Hoey, Kate (Labour MP)

That this House is gravely concerned by the Department of Work and Pensions' (DWP) decision to withdraw support for the Post Office Card Account when the existing contract expires in 2010 and in particular by the Department's attempt to kill off the Account in advance of 2010, through pilot schemes being introduced immediately when it will deny to new benefit claimants the option of opening a Post Office Card Account, inform 35,000 existing customers that they will have to use a bank or building society instead of the Post Office Card Account and require them to provide their account details, and pay benefits of 2,500 existing customers into a bank account rather than the Post Office Card Account, ignoring the preferences they made when their benefit books were stopped; condemns the fact that, in breach of all plans, these pilot schemes are being introduced without consultation; and calls on the Government to halt these pilot schemes immediately and to institute an immediate review of the DWP's proposal to abolish the Post Office Card Account by 2010.