Öpik To Sign Petition To Save Post Office Card Account

3.55.40pm UTC (GMT +0000) Thu 27th Apr 2006

Tomorrow at 1pm, Lembit Öpik, MP for Montgomeryshire and Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats, will go to Newtown post office to sign a national petition to save the Post Office Card Account (POCA).

The petition, organised by the National Federation of Subpostmasters, calls on the Government to reverse its announcement that it will end support for the POCA in 2010.

Commenting today, Lembit said:

"The Government's plans to end Post Office Card Accounts in 2010 pose a real threat to local post offices across mid-Wales.

"The POCA offers a vital service, especially in rural areas, and is a significant source of revenue for local Post Offices.

"When it comes to POCA, this Government's got the wrong hand. We must send a loud and clear message to the Government: give rural Post Offices the support they deserve."

ENDS

Notes

• Lembit will visit Newtown Post Office (Shortbridge Street, Newtown, Tel: 01686 626387) at 1pm

• The petition reads:

'We, the undersigned, believe that the post office network provides a vital service to local communities in both urban and rural areas which are threatened by the Government's withdrawal of services from local post offices. Accordingly we call on the Government to reverse its announcement that it will end support for the Post Office Card Account in 2010 thereby threatening the viability of thousands of post offices and we urge it to immediately halt its activities designed to kill the account off in advance of that date.'