Post Office closures
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ENFIELD: Post office row heats up
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| The post office in Town Road, Edmonton, one of six earmarked for closure in Enfield |
The fate of Enfield's post offices has kicked off a political row over who is really fighting to keep branches open.
Last week, Enfield's MPs voted in the House of Commons on a Conservative Party motion calling for "Post Office Limited to suspend the compulsory closure of sub-post offices".
Conservative MP for Southgate David Burrowes, who voted in favour of the motion, claimed Labour MPs Joan Ryan and Andy Love had failed to match their words with actions when they voted against the proposal to suspend the closures.
However, Ms Ryan, MP for Enfield North, accused the Tories of "breathtaking hypocrisy" because they failed to match the Government's commitment to subsidise the Post Office network by £150million a year, without which thousands of branches could be threatened.
She said: "It's a posture for short-term political gain. They know it's the truth because when they were in power they closed over 3,500 post offices and still have not come up with a viable alternative. Well why would I vote for that?
"I oppose the closure of our three local post offices because we have already experienced our fair share of local closures and I have met with Post Office management to forcefully represent my opposition and that of my constituents."
Mr Burrowes said other Labour MPs had voted with the Conservatives, while Enfield's Labour MPs had let their constituents down.
He said: "It is a failure to do all we can to save our post offices. We are uniquely charged to vote in Parliament in the best interests of our constituents."
The Network Change Programme plans for the closure of 169 post offices in London and the public consultation on the proposals closes on April 2.
Mr Love, MP for Edmonton, called the Conservative motion a "complete sham" and said accepting the Government case about the Post Office network wasn't contradictory to opposing the closure of a specific post office.
He said he was consulting people in the area of Town Road post office, one of six threatened with closure.
Meanwhile, Enfield Council leader Cllr Mike Rye has dismissed the possibility of the local authority funding post offices in return for providing council services.
Responding to a question from Labour councillor Chris Bond, Cllr Rye said the post office network was the responsibility of Central Government.
Essex County Council announced earlier this month that it was interested in buying out post offices to combine postal services with council services.
12:50pm Wednesday 26th March 2008
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