SNP In Further Moves To Save Post Offices

SNP Councillors in Falkirk have called a special meeting of the council to consider proposals by Essex County Council to take over the running of post offices threatened under the cut back in the number of post offices ordered by the UK Labour government.

Under the cull ordered by Westminster seven post offices in the Falkirk constituency were closed. A further post office in Bainsford closed around the same time when the owner closed the premises and sold the post office building to another business use. The east end of Falkirk district including Grangemouth the Braes and Bo’ness are bracing themselves for cuts when the next phase of the government closure program is published later this year.

Nationalist Councillors originally asked the ruling Labour / Tory coalition administration within Falkirk Council to look at alternatives in the threatened areas and were disappointed when they did not receive any.

However, Essex County Council has recently had a scheme approved by Westminster that sees management of some of the post office network transfer to the local authority thus saving threatened services.

Now Falkirk SNP members want Falkirk to urgently take a look at the proposals in Essex with a view to investigating whether the local authority here can make a similar bid on behalf of some if not all of the affected communities.

The motion which must be debated within the chambers in the next 14 days is in the name of the SNP Group Leader, David Alexander who said.

“While the local Westminster MP’s hide their faces in embarrassment at the attacks on the elderly and most vulnerable within our communities who rely most on the Post Office network the SNP are actively seeking a solution to the problems being created by Labour government policy.

If there is anything we can learn from the experience of others such as the Essex local council then we have a responsibility to our local residents here to investigate.

The damage to our post office network is substantial and the damage to the quality of lives of many residents is also substantial.

With further cuts on the horizon it is vital for the delivery of socially inclusive policies that Falkirk Council do everything possible to fight the proposals of the Labour Government. Once the investigative work has been concluded then we will be in a better position to put forward a cohesive strategy to fight those Labour cuts.”