MP in war of words on post offices axe

Mar 22 2008 by Barry Gibson, Huddersfield Daily Examiner

AN MP has been criticised for not supporting the suspension of the controversial post office closure programme.

But Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik has strongly hit back at his Conservative critic.

The Government wants to shut 2,500 branches across the country to stem losses of £500,000 a day.

A Conservative proposal to halt the closures was defeated by 288 votes to 268 in the House of Commons this week.

Nineteen Labour MPs – including Mike Wood of Batley and Spen – rebelled against the Government.

But Dewsbury MP Shahid Malik did not.

Kevin Hollinrake, Conservative Parliamentary candidate for Dewsbury, criticised Mr Malik.

He said: “Mr Malik needs to explain why he rejected the Conservative proposal. Once again he is putting his own job prospects before the interests of the people who elected him.”

Mr Hollinrake added that post office closures would hurt people in Dewsbury.

He said: “It would mean that communities would lose their shop and post office and vulnerable people would lose a service on which they depend.

“Elderly people, disabled people and the most disadvantaged people are the ones who will lose out the most as this closure programme rolls out.”

But Mr Malik rejected the criticism.

He said that some smaller post offices were not economically viable.

He added: “On average fewer than 16 people a week use the 800 smallest rural post offices, at a cost of £17 per visit to the taxpayer. Some 1,600 branches serve fewer than 20 customers a day – losing £8 for every transaction.

“The remaining network will be made more viable by the closure programme as a smaller, though still very extensive, network of branches will be providing post office services.”

The MP added that many older people were choosing not to use their local post office.

Mr Malik said: “The truth is that there has been a massive change in the services which were traditionally dealt with in post offices. Most benefits are now paid into bank accounts. Eight out of 10 pensioners choose to receive their pensions in this way.”

And he said that the Conservatives would close many more post offices than Labour.

Mr Malik said: “The Tories have failed to match our commitment to subsidise the Post Office network by £150m a year. Without this subsidy thousands more branches would be under threat.

“The Tories have pledged not to shut ‘profitable’ branches – but only around 4,000 of the current 14,000-plus branches are commercially viable.”