Local Liberal Democrats have been campaigning against Post Office closures for years.  Nearly ten years ago, we launched a petition calling for action to stop Post Office closures.  But the Blair/Brown government’s new determination to close still more Post Offices means we need more people to sign.

Here across Chesterfield and Staveley, we have already seen the closure of EIGHT branches  A third of all Post Offices in the area have closed since Labour came to power in 1997.
But that’s not enough for Labour ministers, who want another 2,500 branches across the country to be closed, in addition to the 4,000 they have closed since they came to power.

Local MP Paul Holmes said, “Many residents across Chesterfield and Staveley have already spoken to me about their concerns about Post Offices. Elderly residents in particular have told me of their worries about the Government’s decision earlier this year to end the Post Office Card Account, used by many pensioners to collect their state pension.

They may now be forced to get their pensions paid through a bank account instead, depending on the outcome of the tender for a replacement card account.  The result is that already struggling Post Offices are losing even more business and income.