LOBBY IS AN URGENT CRY FOR HELP FROM WALES' POST OFFICES - WELSH LIB DEMS

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 18th Oct 2006

As Subpostmasters from across Wales head to Westminster to present a petition with 4 million signatures to Tony Blair, Welsh Liberal Democrats have called on the Government to act now to save Post Offices in rural Wales.

The petition calls on Ministers to save the Post Office Card Account, due to end in 2010, and to halt the withdrawal of services from Post Offices, which in recent months has seen the Post Office lose its TV Licence contract, and the DVLA urging customers to renew Car Tax online or by phone, rather than at their local Post Office.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Lembit Öpik MP will today be part of the group presenting the National Federation of Subpostmasters petition at no.10 Downing Street. Welsh Liberal Democrat MPs Mark Williams and Roger Williams spoke in Monday's Commons debate on Post Offices, and all four Welsh Liberal Democrat MPs will be meeting Welsh Subpostmasters at 2pm this afternoon.

The Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats Lembit Öpik MP said:

"This is a cry for help from Wales' subpostmasters. The Government need to recognise how crucial Post Offices are for rural communities in Wales, and what they can do to help them survive.

"The Government need to offer more services at the village Post Office, instead of withdrawing them.

"Ministers must keep the Post Office Card Account and strengthen it, so that post office card users can access a wider range of banking services.

HSBC and NatWest refuse to be part of the Post Office's cash withdrawal scheme, which means only 40% of customers can get cash out free of charge at their Post Office. The Government must push these banks hard to get them to open up their services to post office users."

Ceredigion's Welsh Liberal Democrat MP Mark Williams added:

"My survey showed that 6 out of 10 subpostmasters in Ceredigion don't see a long term future for their Post Office.

"Under the Partnership Government in the Assembly, the Welsh Liberal Democrats fought to set up the Post Office Development Fund. The Fund was established to help Post Offices in Wales' most deprived areas and isolated communities stay open and become more accessible. Grants were available to renovate post offices and widen the range of services offered to customers.

"We need to bring this Fund back off the shelf to help the Post Office network once again. The UK Government can help this process by making an early announcement on their Social Network Fund."

ENDS