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Jo Swinson MP for East Dunbartonshire |
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| 16th May 2008 | Jo Swinson | <info@joswinson.org.uk> |
Jo Swinson - Post Office Campaigner************* LATEST NEWS: EAST DUNBARTONSHIRE SPARED *************** Jo Swinson has been campaigning both around East Dunbartonshire and in Parliament to support local Post Offices.
The Post Office network has suffered systematic neglect at the hands of our Labour Government and the Conservative Governments that preceded it. It has reached the point of needing major investment and reinvigoration if the closure of many thousands of Post Offices that is expected in the years to come is to be avoided. The Government's refusal to commit to the future of Post Office Card Accounts is symbolic of its neglectful attitude to the whole Post Office network. The cards are used by 4.5 million people, and have proven far more successful than originally expected, however the Department for Work and Pensions is phasing out card accounts by 2010, forcing people to change how they receive pensions and benefits.
Other Government departments are also withdrawing services from the Post Office. The DVLA has been encouraging people to renew tax discs online rather than at the Post Office. The TV licensing authorities will no longer use Post Offices for TV licences. Combined with card accounts, this amounts to a cross-departmental assault on Post Office services. *************************** Jo Swinson is continuing to fight for local Post Office services. She has held a series of meetings with sub-Postmasters across the constituency, to ask key questions and build up a picture of the real issues affecting Post Offices in East Dunbartonshire. The government has no plan to save the Post Office network. It only has a plan to manage its decline. 3,500 Post Offices closed under the Tories and 4,000 have already closed under Labour. Only the Liberal Democrats have a fully-funded plan to save the Post Office. Our plan would give a real investment of £2 billion in the Post Office, increase the services offered at local Post Office branches and enhance the network as a whole. We are the only party with a fully-funded plan to save the Post Office, give it a long-term future and not just manage its decline. Our plan would see:
The Post Office has published details about local Post Office closure plans for parts of England as the first wave of closures come into effect. Details include a booklet about the local area plan, a map with proposed closures marked and branch access reports. Click on the link to access the Post Office's page. News
2 Most Recent Stories From Jo Swinson News StoriesWed 25th Apr 2007: Government must come clean on Post Office hit-list Jo Swinson has accused the Government of trying to hide the impact of its Post Office closure programme on local communities ahead of the May Scottish and Local elections. Tue 9th Jan 2007: Swinson dismay at Government failure to back Royal Mail Jo Swinson has expressed her dismay at the decision by the Department for Work and Pensions to axe their £12million postage contract with Royal Mail. Earlier Stories Complete archive on the official site
(c) 2008 Jo Swinson Printed and hosted by Prater Raines Ltd, 82b Sandgate High Street, Folkestone CT20 3BX.Published and promoted by the office of Jo Swinson MP, 4 Springfield House, Emerson Road, Bishopbriggs, G64 1QE The views expressed are those of the party, not of the service provider. |