For immediate release:

UK GOVT MUST ENSURE A SECURE FUTURE FOR POST OFFICES

Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey has backed calls from MPs at Westminster for the UK Government to ensure the future of the Post Office network is secure.

The calls come as new figures reveal that Scotland is being hit hardest by post office closures. Of 1,016 temporarily closed branches in the UK, 134 are in Scotland, representing 13 per cent.

MPs obtained an Adjournment Debate at Westminster last week on the matter, highlighting the rising importance of Post Offices to towns and rural communities and renewed calls for the UK Government to act to protect their future.

Locally, the Post Office on Rutherglen Main Street was temporarily closed for six months until it opened its doors again in December 2018.

Rutherglen MSP Clare Haughey and Councillor Janine Calikes (Rutherglen Central and North ward) led a campaign for it to be re-opened, working very closely with Post Office Ltd over several months.

Commenting, Clare Haughey MSP said:

“Post Offices, like the one on Rutherglen Main Street, have become increasingly important to local communities – particularly the elderly and those with additional support needs, because of the face-to-face services that they provide.

“Our local Post Offices play a huge role in public life and they are both a symbol of the community and a lifeline on everything from pensions and benefits to vital day-to-day banking services.

“With the decimation of banks in Rutherglen and Cambuslang over the last few years, the local Post Offices are often the last place where a face-to-face service is available, making it essential for people who live here.”

Cllr Janine Calikes added:

“Clare Haughey and I will continue working with Post Office Ltd to ensure the Rutherglen Main Street Post Office is here for the long-term.

“However, it is also imperative that the UK Government steps in and acts to ensure that the Post Office network, which remains in public hands, has a secure future.”

ENDS

Notes:

Below is a photograph of Clare Haughey MSP and Cllr Janine Calikes outside the Post Office on Rutherglen Main Street.

Rutherglen Reformer article of Clare Haughey MSP and Cllr Janine Calikes’ work to re-open the Post Office can be found on the link below:

https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/local-news/rutherglen-post-office-set-finally-13680661

Statistics referenced can be found on the link below:

https://www.scotsman.com/news/politics/scotland-hit-hardest-by-postmaster-crisis-1-4897899

Transcript of the debate, secured by MP Gavin Newlands, can be found on the link below:

https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2019-03-27/debates/19032814000001/CommunityAndSub-PostOffices

 

Date published: 3rd April 2019