Sunday, January 14, 2007
Save our post offices
Following the government's plan, announced on December 15th, to close 2,500 post offices, the Liberal Democrats have launched a campaign for action to protect the post office network. We are calling on the government to stop the unnecessary post office closure programme, and instead free the business from restrictive regulation, invest in the future of the network and stop removing government business to safeguard our post offices.
Post offices policy in a nutshell
Labour: Removed business such as TV licences, vehicle excise duty and passport authentication from post offices, and are phasing out post office card account, leading to closure of 4,000 post offices since they came to power. Plan to close another 2,500 by 2009 (currently consulting on the plan).
Tories: Oversaw the closure of 3,500 post offices when they were last in power. Now have no policy on post offices. This doesn't, of course, stop them opportunistically attacking the government on this issue.
Lib Dems: £2bn investment in the post office network, funded by a partial privatisation of Royal Mail, plus greater freedom for post offices to undertake new business opportunities.
Post offices policy in a nutshell
Labour: Removed business such as TV licences, vehicle excise duty and passport authentication from post offices, and are phasing out post office card account, leading to closure of 4,000 post offices since they came to power. Plan to close another 2,500 by 2009 (currently consulting on the plan).
Tories: Oversaw the closure of 3,500 post offices when they were last in power. Now have no policy on post offices. This doesn't, of course, stop them opportunistically attacking the government on this issue.
Lib Dems: £2bn investment in the post office network, funded by a partial privatisation of Royal Mail, plus greater freedom for post offices to undertake new business opportunities.
# posted by John Beanse @ 7:10 PM 
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Get your voice heard - the rural post office network - www.ruralaction.org.uk
Everyone has a view on the future of the rural post office network - but will everyone's views be heard? Perhaps you have a good idea on the future of the network; perhaps your own experience shows a vital aspect has been over-looked. Now there is a simple way to get your point across quickly and easily. The recent popularity in 'blogging' - contributing to a weblog or online message board - has inspired ruralnet|uk to set up a blog for this issue: a simple technique allowing thousands to add their personal comments to the debate. Over half of all UK homes have access to an online computer - as well as libraries, youth clubs, schools, day centres, UK online centres, and even some Post Offices! Anyone with an interest can visit the blog and leave their comment on the consultation questions, and read what others are saying.
ruralnet|uk Chief Executive, Simon Berry said "Government consultations are all very well, but they are time consuming and complicated. Fine for the professionals but not for the people affected. It will take just a few moments for anyone to have their say in our collective consultation and their views will go straight to the government."
Visit www.ruralaction.org.uk, click any of the ‘Comment’ links and have your say. You can comment on as little or as much as you like. It is as simple and quick as that. There is no printing or sending to do.
At the end of the consultation period, ruralnet|uk undertakes to summarise objectively all the comments received, and feed them into the Government’s consultation procedure. Says Simon: "We were the first to use the internet to run a collective consultation on the ‘first’ rural white paper way back in the spring of 1999 when we received 1154 contributions. It was said to be "one of the most useful submissions received”. So we know that a collective view from rural people, presented by us will carry a lot of weight.
So, don't be left out: go to www.ruralaction.org.uk state your views and have an impact on the future of post office services in rural areas.
Post a Comment
Everyone has a view on the future of the rural post office network - but will everyone's views be heard? Perhaps you have a good idea on the future of the network; perhaps your own experience shows a vital aspect has been over-looked. Now there is a simple way to get your point across quickly and easily. The recent popularity in 'blogging' - contributing to a weblog or online message board - has inspired ruralnet|uk to set up a blog for this issue: a simple technique allowing thousands to add their personal comments to the debate. Over half of all UK homes have access to an online computer - as well as libraries, youth clubs, schools, day centres, UK online centres, and even some Post Offices! Anyone with an interest can visit the blog and leave their comment on the consultation questions, and read what others are saying.
ruralnet|uk Chief Executive, Simon Berry said "Government consultations are all very well, but they are time consuming and complicated. Fine for the professionals but not for the people affected. It will take just a few moments for anyone to have their say in our collective consultation and their views will go straight to the government."
Visit www.ruralaction.org.uk, click any of the ‘Comment’ links and have your say. You can comment on as little or as much as you like. It is as simple and quick as that. There is no printing or sending to do.
At the end of the consultation period, ruralnet|uk undertakes to summarise objectively all the comments received, and feed them into the Government’s consultation procedure. Says Simon: "We were the first to use the internet to run a collective consultation on the ‘first’ rural white paper way back in the spring of 1999 when we received 1154 contributions. It was said to be "one of the most useful submissions received”. So we know that a collective view from rural people, presented by us will carry a lot of weight.
So, don't be left out: go to www.ruralaction.org.uk state your views and have an impact on the future of post office services in rural areas.
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