Date: 12 March 2008 21:42

POST OFFICE CLOSURE PROGRAMME PUT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT IN
CAMBRIDGESHIRE AND PETERBOROUGH

Local authorities throughout the county have joined forces with 
Cambridgeshire ACRE to ensure that any decisions on the closure of post 
offices in the county to take account of areas of deprivation and growth, 
new transport and road schemes, and the needs of local communities.

The Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Post Office Network Change Group 
(CPONCG) brings together the five District Councils, Postwatch East, 
Cambridgeshire ACRE, and business and rural community support partners.

Some 20 to 30 post office branches throughout Cambridgeshire could face 
closure this autumn - their names and locations will be announced by Post 
Office Limited on July 8 - and CPONCG wants to ensure that those decisions 
are based on the Government's minimum access criteria to maintain a national 
network of post offices, and protect vulnerable people in deprived urban, 
rural and remote areas.

Post Office Limited has accepted an invitation to meet a CPONCG delegation 
led by County Councillor Sir Peter Brown, Cambridgeshire County Council's 
Cabinet Member for Communities, and Chairman o CPONCG.

 At that meeting on March 11, Post Office Limited with be presented with a 
detailed dossier of information on the nature and needs of communities in 
Cambridgeshire & Peterborough, and an outline of the issues that the Network 
Change Group wants taken into account within the planning stage prior to the 
announcement of any proposed changes to the post office network in the 
county.

Sir Peter Brown, said: "There are a number of areas within both 
Cambridgeshire and Peterborough that are deprived and we want to ensure that 
these areas are protected from the proposed post office closure and have 
their current level of service maintained."

"It is also important that we ensure that Post Office Limited is made aware 
of the details of future major house building projects and the construction 
of any new communities such as Northstowe and Hampton, and that they take 
account of the future service needs of those new or expanding communities."

When the closure programme is announced it will be closely examined to 
ensure that Post Office Ltd has stayed within the criteria for closure set 
by national Government - and if any of those criteria are not met, the 
closure recommendation will be challenged by CPONCG, added Sir Peter Brown.

CPONCG is also encouraging all Cambridgeshire communities to take a full 
part in the six week consultation that will follow Post Office Ltd's 
announcement of their proposed plan for post office branch closures on 8
July.

 John Reynolds