Lib Dems Criticise Council Leader over Post Office Study

3.08.19pm BST (GMT +0100) Thu 10th Jul 2008

Four months after the Leader of B&NES Council promised an 'urgent feasibility report' on support for Post Offices a decision paper has been published proposing that "a feasibility study" should be carried out.

Cllr Caroline Roberts highlights the Council's Post Office failings

Councillor Caroline Roberts (Liberal Democrat, Newbridge) is criticising the Leader and Cabinet for failing to give the issue the prominence it deserves:

"We all know that when it comes to protecting Post Offices, it's a case of 'use it or lose it'. The Government has already said that the current round of closures will not be the last and less economically viable branches will be at the top of closure lists.

"This proposal has come out a week after the Cabinet meeting at which I questioned the Leader about progress on this issue; one might wonder whether this report would have come out at all had I not reminded the Leader of her pledge, especially given that the report has not previously appeared in the Executive forward plan for decision making.

"It has taken B&NES' Conservative Cabinet four months to get to pretty much where we started: asking for a feasibility study. I would like to know whether the Leader of the Council considers a four month delay to be an 'urgent' response and why this report has not been prioritised."