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Councillors vote to fight post office closures



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Published Date: 22 August 2008
THE city council has officially condemned plans to axe 13 Edinburgh post offices and has vowed to support all local communities in the fight to save them.
The Lib Dem/SNP administration said it will also examine ways to maximise the range of council services available in the outlets to help ensure their survival.

Councillors united against Labour politicians, and criticised Edinburgh South MP Nigel
Griffiths in particular after he distributed a leaflet claiming 11 out of 11 post offices have been saved – even though the Warrender Park branch in his constituency is on the hitlist.

Lib Dem councillor Conor Snowden said: "The latest round of post office closures are another painful cut on services, which have a great and detrimental impact on all our communities.

"We are making it clear to Royal Mail that we would like these closures reversed."

SNP councillor Nick Elliott-Cannon added: "Local Edinburgh MPs Nigel Griffiths and Mark Lazarowicz all voted for this.

"We will expose the enormity of their hypocrisy."

The UK Government voted to close 2500 branches nationwide because new technology and changing lifestyles mean people are visiting post offices less.

More than 20 branches have already closed in Edinburgh since 2001.

The council has now agreed to respond to each Royal Mail consultation and oppose all closures wherever that is the opinion of local residents. The administration also voiced concerns that closures will not be on a voluntary basis, but "will instead be determined on a compulsory basis".





The full article contains 254 words and appears in Edinburgh Evening News newspaper.
Page 1 of 1

  • Last Updated: 22 August 2008 1:29 PM
  • Source: Edinburgh Evening News
  • Location: Edinburgh
 
1

Resolutions,

22/08/2008 12:14:33
Does anyone live in an area where these PO cuts have been welcomed with open arms?

Where the local councils have said this is great?

Where MPs/MSPs are jigging with joy with their constituents?

Would be most interested to hear, because not impression given anywhere that this is satisfactory.
2

Cheradenine,

Edinburgh 22/08/2008 12:19:11
Oh Nige you are in deep, deep trouble, don't you have a majority of about half a percentage point as it stands?
3

Grouchy,

Edinburgh 22/08/2008 12:32:10
In my area the owner of the shop where the Post Office is located has accepted proposal to close his branch. This makes it very difficult for local people to object to the closure as you can't force someone to run a business if they don't want to.
4

capy,

embra 22/08/2008 12:32:46
Send for Lord Foulkes the champion of the comman man...
5

Linda,

Edinburgh 22/08/2008 12:35:56
Griffiths obviously doesn't care about Warrender Park area.

On March 19th, he and every other Scottish Labour MP voted against the House of Commons motion to suspend the closures pending a more detailed review.

It is therefore hypocritical of Labour MPs to claim they have "saved" post offices or try to lead local campaigns against the very thing they voted for.
6

Calum Crubag,

22/08/2008 12:38:02
Griffiths is another Labour hypocrite.
7

Thomas the Tank,

Edinburgh 22/08/2008 12:47:14
#4 - do you mean Lord Ffoulks, pie-eating champion of the conman man? And #5, isn't the phrase 'hypocritical Labour MPs' tautological?
8

Epicuras,

22/08/2008 13:58:14
and why are loads of post boxes around edinburgh being sealed off? another part of Labour's plan to wreck the post office so they can flog off what's left to the private secotor for some brown envelopes?
9

Logie Almond,

22/08/2008 15:55:25
To enter a post office is like entering a time warp to the 1950s. They are dingy, depressing places, with long queues and slow, surly, unhelpful, and bureaucratic staff. The reason they are being closed is that people are voting with their feet and finding more convenient ways of paying bills, renewing tax discs etc. The councillors are merely playing to the gallery and we all know that if their parties were in control the same programme of closures would be coming forward. Frankly we should close the lot and put the money into finding other ways of delivering the services.
10

Resolutions,

22/08/2008 18:49:20
#9 The post Offices around here are NOT dingy and depressing, nor are the staff unhelpful etc

People if they are queuing are not voting with their feet - most are very busy places.

Just because you are an impatient so and so does not mean that a widely used facility should be closed.

11

Doh,

22/08/2008 19:42:51

Nigel Griffiths publishes another Labour liar.
Just like the dodgy dossier that took us into the Iraq war.

He voted to close the Post Offices.
Just like Iraw, Labour MPs are in denial, it wisnae me.

Yes it was, your lying days are coming to an end.




Warrender PArk - scheduled for closure not saved.
12

,

22/08/2008 21:27:12
Comment Removed By Administrator
Reason:
13

The-Doctor,

Sunny Edinburgh 23/08/2008 00:42:00
Sure, the councillors are playing to the gallery. However, I received Nigel Griffiths’ flyer, and I have to say that it is the most cynical thing I have seen in a long time!
14

Climate change is a fraud,

24/08/2008 17:37:44
"The UK Government voted to close 2500 branches nationwide because new technology and changing lifestyles mean people are visiting post offices less.2

LIES, LIES, LIES, LIES!

The pro-EU Government won't tell you the real reason for the 2,500 Post Office closures.

UKIP will. It's because of two EU directives in particular.

EU Directives 97/67/EC, 2002/39/EC.

Only UKIP can save our Post Offices!


 

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