Lib Dems take Post Office Campaign to Parliament

11.28.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Mon 21st Jul 2008

Cllr Mark Alcock handing the petition to Tom Brake MP outside Parliament

Oldham West & Royton Parliamentary Spokesperson, Cllr Mark Alcock, has taken thousands of signatures on petitions to Parliament in the campaign to save Oldham's Post Offices from closure under Labours closures plans.

Cllr Alcock said, "I believe that closing any Post Office rips the heart out of that community. Post Offices are the hub of the community, right across Oldham Borough, like in Lees, Shaw and across Oldham Borough. The Government seems intent on closing another eight of Oldham's Post Offices on top of the 17 already closed. Ripping the hearts out of local communities and putting other local businesses at risk of closure as former users of the closed Post Offices will use the shops near to the new Post Office that they will be forced to use. I really hope that the Government do listen to the thousands of Oldham residents who want to keep their local Post Office open".

Oldham East & Saddleworth Parliamentary Spokesperson, Elwyns Watkins, said, "I would like to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped in this campaign to 'Save Our Post Offices', from the Lees Community Association who collected thousands of signatures and have run a fantastic campaign, to everyone who has signed all the different petitions and displayed posters in support of the Post Offices threatened with closure.

Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said when receiving the near ten thousand signatures on petitions, " the Governments plans to close the Post Offices in Oldham and across the country is going to damage local communities and local businesses as people are forced to travel to get their pensions and benefits from another Post Office in another area, this is not what local people want as the petitions I have received today show".