Post office closures destroy local communities - Alliance

11.26.43am BST (GMT +0100) Wed 18th Oct 2006

Belfast Alliance Councillor, Maíre Hendron

Belfast Alliance Party Councillor, Maíre Hendron, has demanded that the postal service in Northern Ireland be improved, not cut. Her comments come on the day that a petition containing four million signatures is submitted to Downing Street backing sub-post office across the UK. Maíre Hendron also demanded that areas like Short Strand, which do not even have a post box let alone a post office, be given a post box at the very least.

Cllr Maíre Hendron said: "Post office closures are destroying small local communities throughout Northern Ireland.

"The local post office is the hub of many small communities. If it is lost, then the community suffers greatly. Any sense of community spirit can be lost and the confidence of the area can be detrimentally affected.

"Short Strand does not even have a post box for the whole area, let alone a post office. This is an absolute disgrace. They should be provided with at least a post box for the area. I call on government to improve the postal service, not destroy it.

"The closure of local post offices not only destroy community confidence and spirit, they also prevent people that have no access to transport from using postal services and claiming their benefits locally. Older people have been hit very hard by these closures and I hope that government will sit up and take notice of this massive petition."

ENDS