At 10.00am on the 27th August, the six week period of consultation about the closure of post offices in West Worcestershire will begin. This comes as part of the countrywide process of government post office cuts, where Worcestershire is in the final area to be affected.
Sir Michael Spicer MP and Harriett Baldwin, Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for West Worcestershire have been campaigning for months against the cuts, and have already received many petition signatures from concerned local residents. Under the proposals, 2,500 post offices across the country will be lost, cutting the network from 14,000 outlets to 11,500 outlets. This implies that Malvern Hills and Wychavon District Council will each receive an unwelcome allocation of at least four closures.
Sir Michael Spicer MP said,"Harriett Baldwin and I have received a confidential briefing about which post offices in my constituency are to be closed. What I can say is that our campaign to protect the future of those post offices that are well used has on the whole been successful - although of course I do not accept that the closure of any post office is desirable, given that so many have shut down already in the recent past. I will do my best to make sure that there is the best possible coverage for West Worcestershire in the future."
Harriett Baldwin said: "We have some very geographically dispersed rural areas in this constituency, as well as an older population. Many small businesses rely heavily on their local post offices. Closing a branch can tear the heart out of a community. We will do everything we can to help local communities make the case for their local branch if it is affected."