Need to work harder to keep our rural POs

I WOULD like to thank the local MP and the members of West Devon Borough Council in responding to the call that I made through your letters column (April 6) for politicians both at national and local level across West Devon to join me in making representations to the Government to ensure that the valuable service through the Post Office Card Account is protected. I understand that following the motion proposed by the Liberal Democrat Group at West Devon Borough Council and supported by other political groups, the issue has now been responded to by the Local Government Association (LGA) and the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP). It is essential that we continue to put pressure on Central Government and others so that our valuable Rural Post Offices will continue to survive. It may be time for the borough to go beyond words: what is a workable strategy to preserve this vital rural amenity? Not everyone in our villages has access to a car or the internet and country buses don?t necessarily run every day. Not only that, the Post Office is usually run as part of a small shop and is a community meeting place too. The numbers of second homes in villages is rising too, so the borough needs to work harder to keep our rural post offices. County Cllr Roy Connelly 19 Manor Road Tavistock