John Leech MP keeps up the fight against Labour's Post Office cuts
3.08.51pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 24th May 2007
John Leech and Councillor Paul Ankers have been fighting to save local post offices.
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Local Manchester Lib Dem MP, John Leech, is continuing to fight against Labour's plans to cut 2,500 Post Offices across the country, which could lead to south Manchester being struck by yet more closures.
South Manchester has already been badly hit by post office closures, having lost a third of its post offices in the past seven years.
After this latest announcement, one in five post offices are set to close across the UK -and South Manchester, once again, is unlikely to escape. It is estimated a further five will be cut from the area.
But post office bosses are still refusing to tell communities whether their post office is to be axed. Lists of the branches under threat are to be published on a region-by-region basis over the next 18 months.
'Six post offices have closed in South Manchester since 1999. We cannot afford to see more of these valuable local resources closed,' said John Leech MP.
'I recently met with Alan Cook, the Managing Director of Post Office Ltd., to discuss the future of Post Offices in our area. I made clear that south Manchester had been badly hit by Labour's cuts and that we can not afford more local Post Offices being closed, here.
'Labour must begin to value the service provided by local Post Offices, particularly to older people, and realise that the erosion of the Post Office network has proved seriously detrimental to our community. Only the Liberal Democrats have a fully-funded plan to ensure that communities continue to have access to a local post office.'
<<ENDS>>
Post Offices in Manchester, Withington constituency since 1999
1999 - 16
2002 - 15
2003 - 15
2004 - 12
2005 - 10
2006 - 10
Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 82b Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BX.
Published and promoted by John Leech, MP for Manchester Withington, 8 Gawsworth Avenue, Manchester, M20 5NF.
The views expressed are those of John Leech MP, not of the service provider.
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