Post Office consultation labelled "an insult" following closure announcements

6.00.00pm UTC (GMT +0000) Sat 15th Dec 2007

Local views were binned by Royal Mail bosses

Ashford Liberal Democrats last night described the Royal Mail decision to close 3 Post Offices in the town as "an insult to local needs."

Cllr Bob Cowley, speaking at the Liberal Democrats town branch committee, told those assembled "the faith that we, and the public, placed in the consultation process, was clearly misguided."

"When we were told that we would be listened to, we believed it. When we told our public that they would be listened to, they believed it. Clearly, despite a massive leaflet campaign and well attended public meeting, our protests have fallen on deaf ears."

Frustration was also directed at the towns local MP, Damian Green. Parliamentary spokesman Chris Took reported to the committee that the town's MP had commented in the local Adscene paper about trying to help the post offices under threat.

"What we needed" said Chris "was the local MP using his newspaper column to inform residents in October that their post office was under threat. We did not get that comment until the consultation process had ended!"