CLOSURE OF URBAN POST OFFICES

That this House calls on the Government to ensure that the Post Office closure programme for urban post offices is conducted systematically and only after first consulting all relevant parties including post office users, local public bodies and authorities and the relevant honourable Member of Parliament, allows for adequate time for such consultation, takes into account not only the distance between existing post offices but also physical obstacles such as hills, rivers, canals and major roads between each post office and the nature of the community served by each post office including factors such as deprivation and concentrations of older or disabled people, has special regard to the level of deprivation in the area being served by the post office, and takes the views of both the public and Postwatch into account before announcing any closures; believes that the Government's failure to intervene has resulted in the closure of urban post offices which would have remained open had a systematic closure programme with full consultation been undertaken by the Post Office; and therefore deplores the closure of any post office which did not take these factors fully into account.