Councillor Ashworth angry at post office closures

Councillor Jean Ashworth has hit out at the government's intention to close thousands of post offices saying: "I feel there is far too much government interference in local issues and the removal of local services, the Borough of Rochdale has already lost more than enough vital services".

Councillor Ashworth is concerned that a number of the post offices earmarked for closure may be in Rochdale, she said: "No doubt many of them will once again be in our area; only a couple of years ago in the Smallbridge area, despite campaigns and petitions, we lost two sub branches, one on Stevenson Square and one at Hurstead, which was a huge loss and has had a big impact on our community, particularly affecting the elderly, infirm and disabled who now have to catch a bus to get to a post office".

Under the government's Network Change Programme, consulting on possible Post Office closures will commence in May 2008. It is expected that at least 2,500 post offices across the country will close. This means that some in Rochdale may be under threat. At this stage Post Office bosses are refusing to speculate where they plan to close.