Call to battle over Post Office

A leading councillor in Cannock Chase has issued a call to arms to save an historic post office from the axe.

Councillor Gordon Alcott is urging residents who live near St Aidan's Post Office on Pye Green Road to protest against its planned closure announced on Tuesday.

He said he will be making representations to MP Tony Wright, the Post Office and the independent watchdog Postwatch about the closure of the post office in his ward. And he wants residents to do the same.

Councillor Alcott said: "It is one of the most highly used post offices in the district. The queues start outside it 8.30 of a morning. It's not just pensioners that use it, it's all the other facilities they offer.

"For this to happen in one of the most deprived areas of the district does not make good reading."

There has been a post office in the area since the 1930s and the present one has been at its current location since the mid-60s.

He believes that issues including the extra travelling time residents will have to get to the next nearest post office need to be taken into consideration.

Another ward councillor, Frank Allen said: "It's bad news. I'm concerned really for the elderly people in the area who use it for their pension. I'm very, very concerned about it."

Tony Wright, MP for Cannock Chase, is also encouraging residents to make their views known to him or the Post Office.

He says he is pleased that the majority of the district escaped the worst of the closures but remained concerned about St Aidans.

To respond to the public consultation write to Post Office Ltd at National Consultation Team, Post Office Ltd, Freepost Consultation Team, call 08457 22 33 44, email consultation@postoffice.co.uk or log on to www.postoffice.co.uk/networkchange.