POST OFFICE CLOSURES "WILL DAMAGE LOCAL COMMUNITIES"

10.00.00am BST (GMT +0100) Tue 15th Jul 2008

Stephen Gilbert (left) outside Charlestown Post Office, one of the branches threatened with closure

The Liberal Democrat Parliamentary candidate for St Austell & Newquay, Stephen Gilbert, has said that "local communities will suffer" as Post Office Limited announced the local branches that may face closure.

Within the St Austell & Newquay Parliamentary constituency, Post Offices branches in Tywardreath, Charlestown , St Columb Road , Golant, Stenalees, and Tregrehan Mills now face an uncertain future.

Stephen Gilbert said, "This is a real blow to local communities. It shows a complete lack of imagination from Post Office bosses. There are lots of new services that the Post Office should offer but instead managers are choosing the easy road of shutting down and walking away."

"The Conservatives invented this mass closure programme and only the Liberal Democrats have a costed plan of investment that will mean these vital services would stay in local communities."