POLITICIANS have reacted angrily to the news that Wrexham's main post office is to move.
Prospective Lib Dem candidate Dr Tom Rippeth is concerned over the loss of services when the post office is moved from Regent Street to Henblas Street early next year.
The Postshop, the ATM cash machine and the online Lotto service will all be lost and Dr Rippeth said: 'It is of great concern that the move will result in the loss of services, one of which directly contributes to post office's profits, whilst the others bring people into the PO where they then use other services.
'My main concern is that the loss of these services will result in a significant drop in turnover, a result of which may be a closure threat in the future. It is about time Post Office Ltd, who run the PO network on behalf of the Government, came clean on their plans for the future.
'In the past 18 months we have seen the closure of two sub-post offices locally, with a third only saved as a result of a sustained local campaign, with the Post Office telling us that they were not viable because they were so close to the Regent Street office. Yet now we are seeing the services at this office cut.
'When Post Office Ltd first announced their plans to close up to half the national network of main post offices on November 1, we asked what their criteria for closure was - was it those with the lowest business value, those which provided the least service to the local community, or those with the greatest commercial value when sold?
'We are still waiting for an answer. I hope we are not seeing another case of asset stripping at the expense of our local community services.'
Ian Lucas, MP for Wrexham, has also expressed concerns about the planned move and will be meeting Post Office representatives to discuss the issue.
Anyone with concerns about the latest plans can contact Mr Lucas on 01978 355743.
