Post Office Sham

The closure of 5 MORE post offices, now means that the Post Office has closed 15 throughout Shepway since 1999, including the Crown Post Office in Folkestone, which is due to close in March 2008.

This leaves 20 Post Offices in total.

The consultation process has been a sham. The Shepway Liberal Democrats have run huge campaigns to save post offices throughout our area for the past 4 years.

The closure of urban post offices came first, and we all knew that the second round of closures would be rural, and hit these rural communities with a devastating blow.

How can this be justified, when some of the post offices earmarked, and now confirmed for closure, are profit making.

How can this be justified when many elderly residents are going to be left without access to a local post office.

How can this be justified when throughout the consultation process, the public have turned out in their hundreds, on marches, signed petitions, and have responded with thousands of letters, against these closures, and made their voices heard to the powers that be.

Will somebody explain the meaning of the word consultation to the Post Office, as they have not in any way shape or form, listened to the views of local people, and intend to leave vulnerable people without a service they so badly need.

I understand that Kent County Council are threatening to take this to a judicial review. I hope they have the drive and the determination to see this through, although, I'm not holding my breathe, as the last time the Tories were in Government, they closed 3,500 post offices!