Luff calls for Government to back Post Office (From Tewkesbury Admag)

Luff calls for Government to back Post Office

9:13am Wednesday 8th July 2009

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BUSINESS and Enterprise Committee chairman Peter Luff MP has called on the government to back the Post Office network, not sell it off.

Mr Luff, through the committee’s eighth report ‘Post Offices - Securing their Future’, has emphasised the value of the Post Office to the public, and has called on the government to also recognise the organisation’s potential in delivering a range of important services.

He said: “Having looked in depth at the issues confronting the Post Office network we are convinced that, given sufficient political Will from both central and local government and a real determination to sustain and develop a priceless national asset, there is no reason why the network cannot flourish again, serving the whole nation in a unique and valuable way.”

The committee was highly critical of the government’s Digital Britain report which proposes a digital switchover of public services where the internet would be the primary means of access to public services.

Instead, they argue Post Office’s face-to-face services are important in preventing social exclusion, arguing that people should be encouraged online but not ‘driven there’, highlighting Post Office’s role in local communities.

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