Save our post offices!

Since Labour came to power 3,700 post offices have closed. In the last 10 years of Conservative Government almost 2,000 Post Offices closed.

The new Government pension and benefit payment system (ACT) encourages payments through banks and cuts the fee paid to Post Offices for each transaction, leading to a huge loss in income for many branches. This, together with Royal Mail's "Urban Network Reinvention" programme, which aims to cut costs by closing 3000 Post Offices, has caused hundreds of Post Offices to close.

Many elderly and disabled people depend on the post office, and find it hard to travel to a branch further away, let alone a bank, to collect their benefits. Continuing closures will inevitably leave communities stranded.

In July, I and my Cornish Liberal Democrat colleagues handed a petition into 10 Downing Street of almost 5000 signatures of Cornish people. We also launched our report into the future of Cornwall's Post Offices - 'Catching The Last Post?'.

If you would like to support my campaign to save our Post Offices, please sign the petition below so I can let the Government know your views.

If you would like to comment on these ideas please use my online form instead.