Gidley urges local people to sign petition in fight to save post offices

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 20th Apr 2006

Sandra Gidley, MP for Romsey, has today urged local people to sign the petition launched by The National Federation of Sub Postmasters calling on the Government to reverse its decision to end support for the Post Office Card Account.

The petition highlights fears held by the sub postmasters, subpostmasters and Post Office customers that the withdrawal of vital services like the Post Office Card Account will force thousands of Post Offices to close down across the country.

All 14,500 Post Offices in Britain will receive copies of the petition as part of the Federation's goal of securing more than three million signatures in total.

Sandra said:

"Ending support for the Post Office Card Account is not the way to secure the future of the post office network. I urge everyone to get to their Post Office and show their loyalty by signing the petition.

"The Post Office Card Account is used by 4.3 million people every week. In my own constituency of Romsey, 3,700 people use it to receive their pensions or benefits.

"Removing services and forcing people to go elsewhere flies in the face of previous commitments from Government, and might destroy the network.

Colin Baker, General Secretary of the NFSP, said:

"We have been driven to launch our petition today by pressure from people who are disgusted by the way their choice to use the POCA has been ignored.

"Pensioners feel misled by the DWP on the POCA, with some given just three days notice that benefits would be paid into their bank account instead.

"The public must voice its opposition to the closure of the POCA to send a clear message that the Post Office network still provides a crucial service to rural and urban communities the length and breadth of the country. It is not too late to save the network but we must act now and work together."

The petition reads:

"We, the undersigned, believe that the Post Office network provides a vital service to local communities in both urban and rural areas which are threatened by the Government's withdrawal of services from the local post offices. Accordingly, we call on the Government to reverse its announcement that it will end support for the Post Office Card Account in 2010 thereby threatening the viability of thousands of Post Offices and we urge it to immediately halt its activities designed to kill the account off in advance of that date"

POCA is used by 4.3 million people every week to access benefit payments and is the only Post Office based option for doing so. The Federation believes POCA is being phased out by the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) in advance of its planned withdrawal in 2010, denying users the right to chose how they access their benefits and threatening the viability of the entire post office network. Users will now have to access benefits via a bank account which many simply do not want to do.

The Federation is working with national groups including Help the Aged and Women's Institute, which have expressed their opposition to the Government's plans on POCA, and whose members value the very important social role that post office network plays for communities and vulnerable individuals.