Lib Dem post office campaign condemned as hypocritical

Councillor Jean Ashworth

Liberal Democrat condemnation of forthcoming Post Office closures has been revealed as opportunistic and hypocritical following the revelation that the Lib Dem Council is writing to post office users and encouraging them to abandon using the post office to make payments and instead to utilise direct debit!

Lib Dem Councillor Jean Ashworth has been outspoken in her condemnation of the threatened closures, despite the location of the post offices to be closed having not yet been revealed, as has Rochdale Lib Dem MP Paul Rowen. The Lib Dems have talked to local postmasters and mistresses about launching a local campaign to protest at the threatened closures.

Councillor Ashworth has said publicly: "It is a disgrace; these post offices provide a vital service in our community. I know from experience the problems and inconvenience it has caused to our most vulnerable in the Smallbridge area.

"I totally disagree with the closure of this much needed service and feel there is far too much government interference in removing our local services.

"The Borough of Rochdale has already lost more than enough vital services."

The Lib Dem candidate in the forthcoming North Middleton by-election, Rhoda Morley, has promised to: "campaign to save our Post Offices".

A local resident who does not wish to be named sent Rochdale Online a letter he received from the Council that starts: 'I am writing to you because I have identified your account as recently being paid at a PayPoint location or a Post Office.'

'...the Councils preferred method of payment is by direct debit.'

The letter then goes on to "hard sell" the benefits of direct debit over use of a post office.

The local residents asks: "How can the Lib Dems campaign against post office closures whilst the Lib Dem council is encouraging people to abandon local post offices? It is hypocritical and opportunistic."

Councillor Ashworth responded: “For many years Council departments have requested payment by direct debit, this is not a Liberal Democrat innovation.
 
“Unfortunately we now live in a world of ‘hard sell’, direct debit to pay our utility bills gas, electric, water, telephone, etc., they all state ‘a preferred direct debit payment’ but some of them took the choice of being able to pay at our local post offices away.
 
“I personally still choose to pay my car tax, telephone and other bills at my post.

“I think to condemn this campaign and to say that we encouraging people to abandon local post offices is totally unjustified.
 
“Rochdale Council is not taking this choice away, the option is still there to pay at the Post Office or a PayPoint collection; if it ever dared to try to remove the option then rest assured I would be the first shout.”