Lib Dems challenge county to fund post offices

1.20.20pm UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 12th Mar 2008

Local Lib Dems are calling on the county council to fund post offices in our area.

Lewes District Councillors are challenging the County Council to intervene and save threatened post offices in our area. The call comes after Lewes District offered assistance to two of the post offices threatened in the area, and up to 50 councils in the UK announced they would be following this example.

Lib Dem run Lewes District Council offered assistance to both Landport post office in Lewes and the Claremont Road branch in Seaford after the government's closure plans were announced last November.

Leader of Lewes District Council Ann De Vecchi says: "The county council should stump up the money for those post offices in the most deprived communities. Lewes District have managed to do this in the face of cuts from central government. The county council should follow our example."

Ann adds: "In areas where there are a lot of elderly people, but few shops, the closure of their post office will be devastating. This is why we took the decision at the District to provide financial support. The county council has much bigger resources and must use them to save these vital community resources."

Seaford councillor Jon Freeman says: "If the county can find £145 million for an incinerator nobody wants, they must be able to find it for crucial services such as post offices. Let's hope they listen to the public on this and intervene to save our post offices."

Fifty local authorities around the UK are rumoured to be taking steps to save threatened post offices.

Four post offices closures have been confirmed in Lewes District, with the decision on Landport delayed after the intervention of the District council. 49 post offices were scheduled for closure in Sussex last November as part of the government's nationwide plan to close 2,500. This comes on top of previous closures of 4,000 by this government and 3,500 by the previous Conservative administration.