SOUTH EAST CORNWALL HIT BY 23 POST OFFICE CLOSURES

10.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

The Post Office will today release the names of the Post Offices they propose to close in South East Cornwall. 11 Post Offices will be closed entirely, 4 mobile services will close, and a further 8 will see reduced hours under the Outreach programme. They are:

Outright Closure:

Addington

Albaston

Antony

Cross Park

Golant

Luckett

Seaton

St Cleer

Tywardreath

West Looe

Raleigh

Mobile Services to be closed:

Cargreen

Merrymeet

St Mellion

Trevelmond

Converted to the Outreach Programme:

Commonmoor (currently mobile)

Lawhitton (currently mobile)

Lerryn

Polruan

Quethiock (currently mobile)

St Ive (currently mobile)

St Neot

Trekenner

Colin Breed and Karen Gillard have vowed to fight these closures, many of which will see well used and well sited Post Offices close simply to cut costs.

Colin Breed said today:

"I was expecting the Post Office to hit our rural area, but I did not expect such a heavy hit. Cutting costs by cutting access will not help in the long term. We should be encouraging people to use their local Post Office, and closing them flies in the face of this.

Karen Gillard added:

The Conservatives began this process, and the Labour Government have taken it further. Neither are showing support for rural communities, and for elderly people, many of whom rely on the local Post Office to collect their pension.

On the individual closures:

Addington - "This is a busy office which enables many people to access postal services without the difficulty of going into town."

Albaston - "This office serves a very wide rural area and is vital for many elderly users."

Antony - "For many going to Crafthole will be very difficult in order to get postal services."

Cross Park - "Having lost Burraton Post Office last time, Cross Park has been vital to ensure not everyone in Cornwall's sixth largest town has to use a totally inadequate office in the back of a shop in the centre of town."

Golant - "Alternative offices are well away from the village. This closure will hit many local people and further reduce local services."

Luckett - "The alternative offices are many miles away and local transport is totally inadequate."

Seaton - "This office has both local and seasonal holidaymaker customers and will be very much missed by many people."

St Cleer - "I am absolutely devastated that this vital service is being withdrawn from the village. It is totally unacceptable and no justification could possibly be found for such proposals."

Tywardreath - "I am amazed that this vital service is to be withdrawn from such a busy village. This will mean many people not having local access to postal services."

West Looe - "Having to go into Looe will mean great difficulty for some elderly customers, particularly in the winter months."

Mobile Services - "A mobile service is some compensation but for many a fixed day and time will be inconvenient and if it is bad weather many elderly people will not be able to come out to use the service."