Post Office Statement Leaves More Questions, Says Nigel Rock

8.52.43pm GMT Wed 12th Dec 2007

Nigel Rock PPC

Nigel Rock, prospective parliamentary candidate for Kenilworth and Southam, has responded to a statement by the Post Office published in the local media last week:

"The Post Office's statement about possible local post office closures in Warwickshire leaves us with more questions than answers. The Post Office spokesman claimed that the map they inadvertently published on their website 'contains information which is not final', although she did not explain why a number of Warwickshire post offices, including one in Kenilworth and one in Warwick, were marked on their map with the red cross that means they're due for closure.

There can be no other explanation than that they have been listed as likely candidates for closure, and the Post Office has said nothing to reassure us on this point. And at the same time the statement did nothing to confirm that the remaining local post offices on the map, those marked as due to remain open, will in fact be safe. It is hard to imagine a more confusing outcome that the one they've got.

The whole process appears more and more creaky as time goes by. While the Post Office's latest blunder, publishing on their website a detailed map long before the public consultation process has run its course, does nothing to reassure us that their eventual decision will take into account the needs of people and local communities in the towns and villages of Warwickshire. We must all remain on our guard to ensure that the Post Office cannot escape its responsibilities."