Labour Government Closes Sheffield Post Offices

12.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 14th Oct 2008

The wishes of 20,000 Sheffielders who signed petitions calling for post offices across the city to be saved from closure have been ignored, it was announced today. Just one of the 16 branches facing the axe has been granted a reprieve, Post Office Ltd have confirmed. The post office which has been saved is Wadsley Bridge. The Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Sheffield Central, Cllr Paul Scriven said he was "disappointed and frustrated" with the news but pledged to meet with Post Office Ltd to discuss if and how any of the branches can be kept open.

"This decision is against the communities and the people of Sheffield. We are hugely disappointed and frustrated that Post Office Ltd hasn't taken the time to read our submission on why our communities, and particular vulnerable people, need them," he said.

"I'm delighted for the people served by Wadsley Bridge Post Office. However, the same foresight should have been applied to the rest of the threatened branches."

"Throughout our campaign to save the post offices from closure we have stood shoulder to shoulder with the city's communities. I would like to thank the people of Sheffield for getting behind the campaign."

"We will now look to see if the Council can keep any of these Post Offices open. We will sit down with Post Office Ltd on 24 October and look at the models that Councils have successfully used elsewhere in the country. However I must stress that even if we do come up with any possible solutions, they have to be sanctioned by Post Office Ltd before we would be allowed to go ahead."

"This is all the more frustrating as throughout the consultation process they haven't allowed us to see any facts and figures relating to any of the individual post offices, making it very difficult for us to know what we are up against. We asked for an open and honest dialogue about the future of the Sheffield post office network. This clearly has not happened."

"We also have to remember that we wouldn't be in this sorry state if it wasn't for the Labour Government's national closure