WEST WORCESTERSHIRE MP Dame Harriett Baldwin has thanked local people who signed a petition calling for the Government to protect the vital Post Office network.
Over the summer the MP led a campaign to encourage local people to share their views on a Government consultation on the future of Post Offices.
It is feared that as many as 5,000 Post Offices could be shut as part of a radical overhaul of the network.
More than 500 local people signed a petition in support of Post Offices, which are often the hub of a community.
Dame Harriett said: “I am so grateful to all the people who came forward to share their views on this consultation and sign the petition.
“The rural Post Office network is vital to keep villages alive and I was alarmed at the prospect of the Labour Government allowing the network to shrink. It’s stayed at 11,500 for 15 years.
“It is a critical part of our national infrastructure connecting people and businesses with the world and increasingly with banking services.
“Over the years, I have stood up for Post Offices services in Tenbury, Upton-upon-Severn and Kempsey and encouraged communities like Alfrick and Lower Broadheath to open up volunteer-led village stores with Post Office counters.
“Nationally 165,000 people have put their names forward to support our Post Offices and I am hoping that the Government sees sense and keeps the Post Office network at the same levels as it was under the last Government.”
