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Royal Mail accused of withholding post office plans

13/03/2008

Councils have called on Royal Mail to reveal its plans for local post offices.

Thousands of small branches face closure under government plans to reduce the post network's weekly losses of £4 million.

But while local councils across the UK are attempting to create rescue packages for communities facing branch closure, many have reported their efforts are being hampered by Royal Mail itself.

According to the Daily Telegraph newspaper, the Local Government Association (LGA) has met with opposition from Royal Mail regarding efforts to keep local post offices alive.

And suggestions delivered personally to Royal Mail chief executive Adam Crozier in December 2006 were all but ignored, it has been claimed.

LGA chairman Sir Simon Milton said: "There is not the high-level commitment within the Post Office to engage seriously with alternative means to keep post offices alive."

However a Post Office spokesman denied the LGA claims, saying meetings with Sir Simon's predecessor Lord Bruce Lockhart had been fruitful.

"The Post Office is having constructive discussions with a number of councils about the funding of branches and it is absolute nonsense to suggest that we would obstruct any positive approach," he added.

It emerged this week up to 50 local authorities across England and Wales are considering buying out and running branches threatened with closure.