Lib Dem Post Office campaign ongoing, as Conservatives try to catch up

9.05.00pm BST (GMT +0100) Mon 21st Jul 2008

Chelmsford Liberal Democrats were at the forefront of the successful campaign to reopen Broomfield Parade Post Office

Liberal Democrats continue to campaign to save the Post Office card account, which was put out to tender by the Labour government last year. They feel that to award the contract to another provider would clearly make things worse for Post Office Ltd. Said Lib Dem Parliamentary Candidate Stephen Robinson: "Post Offices form the heart of many of our communities, and need to be allowed to provide more services to make them sustainable. However, the Labour government seems prepared to sentence them to a slow death from neglect."

The Liberal Democrats have long proposed sustainable plans for the future of the Post Office (see www.cmld.org.uk/PostOffices). Having closed 3500 Post Offices, the Conservatives have recently jumped on the bandwagon to oppose closures.

At a meeting of Chelmsford Borough Council last week, the Conservatives proposed a motion calling for the Post Office card account not to go out to tender, when it already has been out to tender for a year. Cllr. Chris Rycroft successfully proposed an amendment to the motion to bring it up to date. She said: "We hear a lot of talk from the Conservatives in Essex about their plans to save the Post Offices in the rural areas, but what about the Chelmsford town area where 8 local post offices have been lost?"