Post Office Consultation Sham

9.37.11am GMT Wed 3rd Dec 2008

The so called 'consultation' that took place in Devon this summer over Post Office closures was a sham, says Cllr Sally Morgan, Liberal Democrat PPC for Central Devon.

The formal period of public consultation in Devon ended on 30th June 2008. Information regarding final decisions made was sent to MPs on 21st July.

However, Cllr Morgan can reveal that one Post Office that is facing closure received a letter from Post Office Ltd. on 23rd October informing them that their contract would terminate on 11th December. The date printed on this letter was 1st July 2008, the day after the public consultation closed.

Cllr Morgan says, "The Subpostmaster who received this letter has had their livelihood ruined by the withdrawal of their contract. Their village shop business cannot continue without it. This is an extra kick in the teeth. It is ridiculous to imagine that a letter can be written and prepared informing of a decision the day after the closure of a period of public consultation, how can an informed analysis and conclusion of consultation responses be made so soon? Did Post Office Ltd. have a pile of pre-prepared letters ready to send? This is either an extremely insensitive mistake or one can only assume that the public consultation was never going to make a difference to the final decision."

Sally Morgan can be contacted on 07811825707