The Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Blackpool North & Cleveleys, Paul Maynard, has today launched a campaign to keep all three of the threatened Post Offices in his constituency open for business. Local campaigners will be outside each of the threatened Post Offices on the next three Saturdays collecting signatures towards the Petition to save them.

Commenting on the proposed closures, Paul said “As I made clear when these closures were announced earlier this week, the only people to blame for this are the Government. As I saw for myself at Torsway Avenue, patients and doctors at the nearby Victoria Hospital rely on it as their nearest Post Office – it is madness to suggest closing it. I have had many, many emails from local residents complaining about the closures in Bispham and Cleveleys also. I understand their concerns: the Red Bank Road Post Office is the local one I use, and will be sorely missed.

“But we must not give up hope. Three of the 65 Post Offices earmarked for closure in Cheshire were saved because campaigners argued that access for the vulnerable would be compromised. This is why I have hopes that at least some of these Post Offices can be saved from the axe.

“The Government has blamed the internet for Royal Mail’s problems, but as as I was told by one Postmaster, they are e–bay now for the bulk of their business. The real problem is the Government withdrawing business from the Post Offices. Five years ago, some 60% of Post Office business was from providing Government services, within two years, that will be down to 10%. This Government seems to have no idea of the value of our communities.

“I am intrigued to see that Joan Humble criticise these closures – after all, it was she who voted for them in the first place. Gordon Marsden says we got off lightly – try telling that to the pensioners who will have to go that much further for their essential services. This is a typical case of our MPs saying one thing down in London and another thing up here”.