Government Must Rethink Abolition of Post Office Card Accounts

6.49.48pm UTC (GMT +0000) Fri 13th Oct 2006

Manchester Liberal Democrat MP John Leech has called on the Government to rethink its plans to abolish the post office card accounts used by many to receive their pensions or benefits.

Commenting on new figures uncovered by the Liberal Democrats that show 6450 people in his Manchester Withington Constituency use the post office card account to receive their pensions or benefits, Liberal Democrat MP John Leech said:

"It is astonishing that the Government seems intent on destroying a service which is of such great value to so many people across in the local area community and the country as a whole. The post office card account offers an accessible and affordable way for thousands of people in the area to receive their benefits, yet the Government is proposing to axe it."

"Without the vital revenue stream from the post office card account, the Government is further undermining the long term viability of the post office network meaning that even more than the 3,500 post offices already closed by Labour will be put out of business."

Commenting further on an Age Concern Report published earlier this month, John Leech MP said:

"The Government must pay far greater heed to the effects the closure of post offices have on a community - nearly 8 out of 10 people feel that the closure of their local post office would present a loss of essential local services."

"This is yet another example of an over centralised Government entirely out of touch with local communities."

End

The Age Concern report findings on Post Offices can be found at http://www.ageconcern.org.uk/AgeConcern/BBA8F3E6C959416E9437E36F9B00EBD4.asp