Today in Parliament, during the Post Office debate called by the Conservatives, John Baron MP questioned John Hutton MP, Secretary of State for Business, about the Government’s closure programme.
John said: “We have a ludicrous situation in my constituency and across South Essex whereby post offices are being closed, yet these branches are profitable and serving an expanding population. Essex County Council has put £1.5 million on the table with a view to keeping some of these post offices open for the benefit of local communities. However, they need more time, so will the Secretary of State therefore delay the decommissioning of these branches to allow negotiations to take place?”
The Secretary of State stated that he was aware of the situation in Essex and that he had placed in the House of Commons Library a copy of a letter he had written today to the Managing Director of Post Office Ltd about this very issue.
During the debate, John obtained a copy of this letter, but the Secretary of State refused to allow John to intervene again. John said afterwards: “The Secretary of State hid behind this letter during the debate in order to avoid having to answer awkward questions, but all it does is give a long list of conditions which have to be met before Post Office Ltd would be allowed to enter into an arrangement with Essex County Council.
“The letter does not answer the fundamental point that Essex County Council needs more time – a promise to delay the decommissioning of branches is sadly lacking.”
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