Post Office closures "a disaster" says David Heath

12.01.00am BST (GMT +0100) Thu 29th May 2008

Responding to the news that the Post Office intends to close all the post offices in his Somerton & Frome constituency that they included in their closure consultation, David Heath MP has said:

'This is deeply bad news for communities across Somerset and confirms what we knew from the start: that the Post Office consultation was a complete farce and the Post Office had no intention of listening to what local people had to say.

The loss of these post offices is a disaster for the individual businesses and will rip the heart out of the villages affected. The Government have effectively turned their back on the needs of rural areas."

David Heath raised formal objections to each of the planned closures and in addition called for an extension to the three year planned terms where the Outreach van replacement is proposed.

The closures were opposed by parish councils across the County, by the District and County Councils and by vigorous campaigns in the villages affected.

Post Offices due for closure:

Bayford

Bower Hinton

Holcombe

Keinton Mandeville

Kingsdon

Sparkford

Yeovilton

Post Offices due for closure and to be replaced by an Outreach van service:

Charlton Horethorne

North Cadbury