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5th January 2009

Vital Post Office Services Must Be Protected

North East MSP Alex Johnstone has made it clear that a future Conservative government will act to save vital Post Office services. Announcing the 'Post Office Action Plan', he made it clear that the Conservatives will stop the closure of any profitable Post Office saying, "We want to find a sustainable way of keeping our network open for business and this must include reforming the Post Office Card Account. Currently, people who do not have bank accounts, or who ‘act as unbanked’ by spending all their cash on a weekly basis, cannot access the cheaper gas and electricity tariffs which are available to those who pay their bills by direct debit. We will reform the Post Office Card Account so it can be used to pay household utility bills by direct debit, helping to tackle fuel poverty as well as generating new income for post offices."

"We will also free up Sub Postmasters, giving post offices more freedom to compete by offering a wider range of business services. This might include a kind of ‘Government GP’ service where trained staff could advise on a range of matters including tax returns, pension entitlements, the opening hours of local pharmacies and how to apply for a disabled parking permit. Local councils could also participate in this kind of scheme by opening ‘council counters’ in local branches."

"While a great many of us now choose to by-pass our local Post Offices in favour of telephone and internet alternatives, this option is not open to us all. Although some Post Offices are now at the margins of profitability, they provide a vital public service to the most vulnerable people in our society, including some of the elderly and the least well off in our communities. By extending the range of services which they can provide, we can create new sources of income for Post Offices, better standards of service for their customers and avoid any further closures within this vital network."