Well done Government! Unless you've been on holiday for the last couple of months, you'll be aware of the battle to save our Post Offices, in the light of Government cutbacks. Around 2500 small local Post Offices need to be closed to 'balance the books' of the Post Office, of which the Government is a majority shareholder.
A 'consultation' period was launched, during which many local residents across the county fought passionately to keep open the very hubs of their communities. The facts and figures presented by Post Office management were seen to be hopeful at best, deliberately misleading at worst.
Kent County Council mounted a strong campaign, pulling in Post Office management to Cabinet Scrutiny to answer some hard questions. Local Councillors and MPs spoke out in defence of their constituents, and during the six week consultation - half the length usually allowed doe such an exercise - over 5,500 letters of protest were despatched.
After putting the people of Kent through weeks of uncertainty and fear, the verdict has been announced. Of the fifty local Post Offices threatened with closure, just two have been saved. The rest will be shut down in due course, tearing the heart out of many small communities, and causing the elderly and infirm the inconvenience of travelling possibly miles to their nearest town centre.
It has been mentioned that the consultation period wasn't even long enough to read all the letters of protest.
Perhaps they got lost in the post...
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