TATTON MP George Osborne has spoken out in support of the campaign to keep rural post offices open.
The Shadow Chancellor made his views known after visiting Wincham Post office on Thursday to hear concerns first-hand from staff and users.
Manager Shelagh Benswick asked to meet the Conservative MP to air her concerns over the abolition of the Post Office Card Account which, she fears, will cause problems for the elderly and further hit post offices.
'The account enables pensioners to still collect their pensions from the local post office but when that goes we will lose all that business,' she said.
'Pensioners will have to open a bank account which probably means then having to travel into the town centre to get their money.
'It is going to create a lot of problems for the elderly and also withdraw a vital service in the village. A lot of our elderly customers are naturally very concerned about this.
'The idea behind Mr Osborne's visit was to focus attention on the need to keep customers coming into the village post offices.'
Mr Osborne believes the survival of rural post offices is vital to the survival of villages.
He said: 'Many elderly and vulnerable residents rely on the post office for many services - and the abolition of the Post Office Card Account will make life more difficult for hundreds of local people.'
The Conservative Party has launched a Post Office Action Plan which includes encouraging councils to consider opening 'council counters' in local branches, giving sub-post offices greater freedom to offer a wider range of commercial products, and pushing for more post offices to be 'one stop shops' for central government services.
