SNP To Oppose Labour Cuts in Local Post Offices

The SNP has unveiled a major district wide campaign against the proposals of the Labour government in Westminster to close a number of local sub post offices.

After months of speculation the New Labour government has announced the list of sub popst offices across Falkirk district that they wish to close as part of their rationalisation program.

The full list of closures are;

• Bothkennar Post Office, Skinflats
• Brightons Post Office, Brightons
• Church Street, Stenhousemuir
• Highland Dykes, Bonnybridge
• Nethermains, Denny
• Thornhill Road, Falkirk

Around 20 years ago there were 25,000 sub post offices throughout the UK. The Tories began the process of cuts and New Labour have continued Tory policy by reducing this figure to 14,500.

A further 2,500 post offices are due to close as part of the government's rationalisation program bringing the figure down to 12,000.

Falkirk Constituency Prospective SNP candidate, Cllr John McNally has pledged his support to communities throughout the Falkirk area fighting the closures.

John who attended the first public meeting of the campaign at the Thornhill Road Community Centre in Falkirk, a meeting that attracted over 150 members of the local community, said;

"New Labour, like their Tory allies, seem to know the cost of everything and the value of nothing.

Post Offices are at the centre of all of our communities and the draconian cuts being proposed by the UK government are savage in their attack on these communities.

The SNP showed the way in the Thornhill Road campaign where local SNP Councillors have led the way in constructively fighting Labour cuts. SNP Councillors and the activists within the Falkirk Constituency will replicate this campaign wherever Labour attack our communities."

John was also scathing of some Independent and Conservative Councillors who have backed Labour yet tried to distance themselves from the UK Labour Government.

"So called Independent Councillors like Billy Buchanan and Alex Waddell and Tories such as Malcolm Nicol and John Patrick can not shirk their responsibility for the closures of the local sub post offices. They have toadied to the Labour Party and given the impression Falkirm district is an easy target for Labour closures.

They have run with the New Labour fox and will be judged with their New Labour masters.

Only the SNP have pledged to campaign against the Labour politicians who have taken the communities ranging from Skinflats in the east of Denny in the west for granted."

The SNP has already put in place a commitment to make a submission on behalf of each local post office threatened and this process will increase pace now that the full list of closures has been announced.