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22nd April 2008
Johnstone Urges Council To Prepare
North East Tory MSP Alex Johnstone is urging
Aberdeenshire Council to look at all the options in the face
of government sanctioned Post Office closures across West
Aberdeenshire & Kincardine.
Mr Johnstone said "We have to be prepared
not only to fight hard for the retention of our Post
Offices, but we also need to look at how best we can assist
the provision of postal services where a Post Office does
close. It is naïve to simply view a Post Office as a
business when it is such an important part of any community,
especially rural communities that make up so much of
the Aberdeenshire population."
"I believe that there is much that
Aberdeenshire Council, and indeed other local authorities up
and down Scotland can do to mitigate the damage that any
Post Office closures will have on local infrastructure. For
example, the council could look at hosting a Post Office in
some of its offices, where local businesses are unable to or
do not wish to, have a Post Office on their premises.
Another example could be that mobile libraries might host a
restricted service from their vehicles."
Concluding, Mr Johnstone said "I have
already met with Postcomm Scotland to discuss the very
negative impact any closure would have on our communities
and I will work very closely with anyone who seeks to fight
the closure of a Post Office. That said, we need to plan
what can be done to keep postal services available to all
communities and we need to acknowledge that local government
may well play a role in providing that service."
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