"Sham consultation steamrolled views of local people" on PO closures - Thurso

12.00.00am GMT Fri 13th Nov 2009

The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee has released a scathing report on the Government's consultation on its PO closure programme 2007/8 - suggesting the consultation was mere window dressing. John Thurso MP, Lib Dem business spokesman condemned the consultation as a sham and suggested the report made a mockery of the Government's claims "to be listening"

Out of 2,500 Post Offices proposed for closure only 353 were saved. This was despite nearly 200,000 people getting in contact to oppose the closures and many more unaware of them. The report also classified the assessment of the socio-economic impact of the closures as "inadequate" and suggested that any financial benefit from them was relatively modest.

John Thurso said: "Their sham consultation steamrollered the views of local people and showed a flagrant disregard for the many excluded from the process. Saltburn Post Office in my own constituency was closed despite strong opposition from local people. As a supporter of their campaign to keep their Post Office open I feel the report is damning and makes a mockery of the Government's claim to be 'listening'."