With the
Post
Office
network
losing
an
estimated
£4million
a week,
the
government
and
Royal
Mail are
in the
process
of
finding
loss
making
branches
to
close.
The
government
wants to
close
2500
branches,
but it
isn’t
just
individuals
who
could
suffer
if all
the
closures
go
ahead.
The Federation of Small Businesses (FSB) has called on politicians
to take every possible step to retain the
post office network. FSB research has
revealed that 82% of small businesses think
the closure of their local post office would
have a significant impact on their business,
in some cases leading to business closure.
In the FSB’s survey, 97% of small businesses think the post office
has a role to play in the local community.
The closure of post offices is intrinsically
linked to the death of small local shops,
which already have to contend with poor
planning decisions and anti-competitive
practices of supermarkets.
In response, the FSB has launched a national campaign and petition
on the Downing Street website to Keep Trade
Local:
http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/keeptradelocal/
John Wright, FSB National Chairman, said::
“Politicians of all parties have gotten
themselves into a real pickle over post
office closures. The policies of successive
governments have reduced the viability of
local post offices. We now face the loss of
a network, which if it did not already
exist, would need to be invented – this is
madness.
“This is about more than just the post
office network. Each post office generates
footfall for other local shops and
businesses. We already face the loss of up
to 50,000 small shops by 2015. The prospect
of additional post office closures is yet
another nail in the coffin of our local high
streets.”;
