THE MP for West Devon and Torridge has voiced his dismay over Post Office Ltd?s decision to with-hold information from MPs about its plans to close local post offices across the country. Geoffrey Cox also deplored attempts by the company he said were gagging postmasters in the run-up to the public consultation, comparing its actions to ?those of a communist-style dictatorship?. Mr Cox said the Post Office had decided that rural MPs would not be provided with draft proposals of the Area Change Programme before the public consultation, drastically hampering the politicians? ability to respond effectively. Mr Cox has vowed to support individual post offices threatened with closure in his constituency and has carried out a survey of each branch to help prepare a case for preserving them. ?The Post Office?s move will make it harder to mount a campaign to keep rural branches open,? Mr Cox said. ?I am unsure why the Post Office feels that it is necessary to keep my colleagues and I in the dark about their closure plan.? Mr Cox added: ?With the Post Office sending ?gag orders? to postmasters, threatening to spy on them, and withholding critical information from elected representatives, one is forced to ask whether their business practices are inspired by the Communist hegemonies of the last century, rather than the modern, socially responsible businesses we all hope to see.?
