TAVISTOCK Post Office will be at the forefront of a national campaign being launched next week, part of the fight to save small post offices from closure. Despite the fact some 4.3 million people use the Post Office card account each week to access pension and benefits payments, it has been announced that the Department of Work and Pensions does not intend to extend the accounts contract beyond 2010. It has also announced a series of pilot studies designed to test the migration of customers to bank accounts. The owner of Tavistock Post Office, Ravi Jhangiani, is president of the Plymouth, North and East Cornwall branch of the National Federation of Subpostmasters. Mr Jhangiani said: ?The Government is withdrawing more and more of the services provided by subpostmasters, which will inevitably result in the closure of numerous offices and leave many in the community feeling isolated and without the support of their local subpostmaster. ?The Government claims that the reasons are financial, proving that the bean counters know the cost of everything ? and the value of nothing.? The ?Post Office ? Heart of the Community? campaign kicks off on Monday when Ian Holloway, manager of Plymouth Argyle FC, will lend his support to the post office in Stoke, Plymouth. On Tuesday, the attention turns to Tavistock, when the mayors of West Devon and Tavistock, West Devon and Torridge MP Geoffrey Cox and the town crier will be coming along to the post office by Abbey Bridge. Mr Jhangiani said: ?We are hoping for quite a big turn out ? we have contacted lots of town organisations and we hope people will come along and support us ? the more, the merrier. ?Basically we would like everyone to write their messages about what the post office means to the community on heart-shaped pieces of paper and we will be taking all these messages up to parliament on the national rally on October 18. ?We are not just talking about the risks to Tavistock Post Office here ? we are particularly thinking about the rural post offices in this area, and there are quite a lot of them.? There will be a further event at Princetown Post Office on Thursday October 12, highlighting the importance of the post office service in a rural village which is already due to lose its bank this December. MP Geoffrey Cox has circulated a petition throughout his constituency which he intends to present to Downing Street on October 18. Mr Cox said: ?It is vital the Government plainly and unequivocally commit themselves to the future of rural post offices. They must confirm they will develop a replacement for the post office card account, renew their pledge to sustain and support the post office network and recognise the vital social function, particularly for the elderly and vulnerable, that sub post offices in rural communities fulfill.? The VIP guests will be arriving at Tavistock Post Office at 11am on Tuesday October 10 ? all residents who would like to support the campaign are urged to come along at any time during the day.
