Council could run post office

Mar 13 2008 by Liam Murphy, Liverpool Daily Post

AN INDEPENDENT councillor from Wirral is leading calls for the local authority to buy up post offices facing closure and keep them open for the community.

Cllr David Kirwan said he had been impressed with the scheme in which Essex County Council plans to be the first local authority to take over the running of branch offices.

The council’s leader says many other local authorities are interested in the idea, and Cllr Kirwan said he believed a similar scheme should be considered for Wirral.

He said: “I am very keen for local government to step into the vacuum that is being created by the Government in services like this.”

In January, it was confirmed that despite huge local campaigns run by all political parties, and even the intervention of former Beatle Sir Paul McCartney, the post office in Lower Heswall, in Wirral, was one of those to close, along with another in Spital.

They were among almost 40 Post Offices that it was announced would close across Merseyside and Cheshire following a nationwide review of the service.

Cllr Kirwan said: “The situation is the same across the board, with closure of local banks, too – and it is not just rural communities which are affected but towns.

“I think this is something where the local authority have the infrastructure where they could help out – they are used to providing services of a similar nature.

“I believe it would be very good use of tax payers’ money.”

In Essex, councillors have said they aim to give details of their plans within the next few weeks.

The council has set aside £1.5m for the scheme.

But the TaxPayers’ Alliance said they doubted whether local authorities would prove more effective than the Royal Mail.

Last night, a spokesman for Wirral Council said they were aware of the plans being put forward in Essex, but added: “There are no formal plans for this in Wirral at this stage.”

liammurphy