news story

26th February 2007

MP Backs Parish Council Over Threat to Alveston Post Office

(L to R) - John Head (chairman, Alveston Parish Council), local MP Steve Webb, postmistress Ann Turner, and councillors Shirley Holloway and Maggie Tyrrell

Northavon MP Steve Webb has given his backing to a campaign by Alveston Parish Council to save their local Post Office, newly threatened with closure. Julian Goulden and Ann Turner, who run the post office, have been told that their post office may be under threat when a list of planned closures is announced later in the Spring.

Although the post office is a profitable one, Post Office counters are seeking to cut thousands of post offices from the network and believe that neighbouring post offices at Olveston or Thornbury could meet the needs of Alveston residents. This view is disputed by the Parish Council who have launched a petition to the Post Office to protest, a petition which has been backed by local MP Steve Webb.

The MP said:

"Alveston Post Office performs a vital service, especially to older residents who would not find it easy to get to neighbouring post offices.

"Where a post office is well run and making money it seems crazy to threaten it with closure. I very much welcome the initiative that has been taken by the Parish Council, and I hope that many residents will visit the post office to sign the petition. I will have a meeting later this week with Postwatch, the body which was set up to represent post office customers, and I will be discussing with them how best to protect village post offices from closure".

The petition has been initiated by John Head, chairman of Alveston Parish Council. Mr. Head is asking for petition forms to be returned initially to the Parish Council so that they can be sent on all together to the Post Office.

Councillor Maggie Tyrrell, who visited the Post Office on Friday to register her support, said:

"For many pensioners a local post office is a lifeline. If they do not have transport of their own, how are they supposed to collect their pensions? The Government's pressure to close thousands of post offices nationwide is ill-judged and must be re-thought".