Thursday 17 July 2008

Over Post Office

Last night I went to a briefing meeting, along with other councillors, to talk to the Post Office and officers from the County Council about the proposed closures in South Cambridgeshire and what it would mean.
It is clear that the Post Office are under instructions form central government to bring their finances back into balance; they currently lost around £3m per week and need to save some £45m through the closure programme. So I think any campaign to save the Post Office must also seek to demonstrate that Over can at least break even, if not make a profit. The plans for expanding operations at the shop are exciting and will help our case enormously.

So please come to the public meeting on Wednesday 23 July in the Community Centre to find out more about how to save this vital village community.

What worried me hugely at the meeting though was the fact that the Post Office are clear about the number of closures - so for every facility that is saved, another will be added to the list. While I think that Willingham is pretty safe, given that it provides a wider range of services, then if we manage to save Over, there must be doubts about Longstanton. So my advice over the next few months is to keep in touch with what the Post Office are doing - and be ready if Longstanton is threatened in any way.

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