17 March 2008
Alok Sharma has written to Martin Salter MP asking him to support the Conservative motion to be debated in Parliament on Wednesday 19 March calling for a suspension of the post office closure programme which has been implemented by Mr. Salter’s Labour Government.
Alok Sharma wrote to Mr. Salter:
“Dear Mr. Salter,
Re: Post office cuts
As you are aware my Reading West Conservative colleagues and I launched a community wide petition against the closure of local post offices last year which was signed by hundreds of local Reading people and the petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street. Despite the petition being available for signing for many weeks in several local post offices located in Southcote, Tilehurst and Purley neither you nor any of your Labour councillors thought it important enough to sign this community wide petition which, thanks to the actions of local people, helped to save a number of local post offices.
Very belatedly months later you decided to follow my lead and sputtered into action informing the local media that you were indeed against local post office cuts, which your own Government has decided to implement against the wishes of local people and local communities.
You will have the opportunity on Wednesday 19 March to demonstrate that you not only “talk the talk” but can also “walk the walk” by supporting the Conservative motion proposed for debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, which would suspend the controversial post office closure programme.
The motion addresses the main complaints about the closure programme and the consultation process which goes with it. It recognises the important role which post offices play in their local communities and the fact that it is the elderly and disabled people who lose out most when a sub-post office closes. It highlights the short period of time involved in the consultation process (six weeks compared the twelve weeks recommended by the Cabinet Office). It asks for greater attention to be paid to identifying new business opportunities for post offices and to explore new working arrangements with councils, and calls for the suspension of the closure programme whilst these issues are being assessed.
I very much hope that you will support this Conservative motion, and others like it in the future, which aim to check the terrible damage your Government’s policies are doing to Britain and the British people. Many in the Reading West constituency will be watching very carefully which way you vote on Wednesday.
Yours sincerely,
Alok Sharma
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West”
Alok Sharma wrote to Mr. Salter:
“Dear Mr. Salter,
Re: Post office cuts
As you are aware my Reading West Conservative colleagues and I launched a community wide petition against the closure of local post offices last year which was signed by hundreds of local Reading people and the petition was delivered to 10 Downing Street. Despite the petition being available for signing for many weeks in several local post offices located in Southcote, Tilehurst and Purley neither you nor any of your Labour councillors thought it important enough to sign this community wide petition which, thanks to the actions of local people, helped to save a number of local post offices.
Very belatedly months later you decided to follow my lead and sputtered into action informing the local media that you were indeed against local post office cuts, which your own Government has decided to implement against the wishes of local people and local communities.
You will have the opportunity on Wednesday 19 March to demonstrate that you not only “talk the talk” but can also “walk the walk” by supporting the Conservative motion proposed for debate in the House of Commons on Wednesday, which would suspend the controversial post office closure programme.
The motion addresses the main complaints about the closure programme and the consultation process which goes with it. It recognises the important role which post offices play in their local communities and the fact that it is the elderly and disabled people who lose out most when a sub-post office closes. It highlights the short period of time involved in the consultation process (six weeks compared the twelve weeks recommended by the Cabinet Office). It asks for greater attention to be paid to identifying new business opportunities for post offices and to explore new working arrangements with councils, and calls for the suspension of the closure programme whilst these issues are being assessed.
I very much hope that you will support this Conservative motion, and others like it in the future, which aim to check the terrible damage your Government’s policies are doing to Britain and the British people. Many in the Reading West constituency will be watching very carefully which way you vote on Wednesday.
Yours sincerely,
Alok Sharma
Conservative Parliamentary Candidate for Reading West”
