Our local post office is an essential social and economic hub of the community, not only a place to buy stamps and get your pension but a place to catch up with neighbours and friends. But with the Labour Government's decision last year to close one in every five branches our traditional Post Office and all it represents is fast becoming a rarity.

The affront on our Post Offices has been under way since the 1980s.
Between 1979 and 1997, 3,500 were closed by a Tory Government advised by David Cameron.

After Labour came to power in 1997 they continued the trend by overseeing the closure of a further 4,000.

By getting rid of services such as TV licences and the card account and threatening to get rid of vehicle excise duty and passport authentication the Labour Government has been chipping away from within at this cornerstone of our communities.

In 2005-06 the Labour Government removed £168million of business from the Post Office network. In that same year the Post Office ran an operating deficiency of £111million.

By removing Government custom, Labour's erosion of services has turned a potential profit of over £50m into a deficit of double that. By sucking the life out of our invaluable network and removing the services people need we have been denied the chance to "use it or lose it". Rather than sealing the nail in the coffin the Government must increase the viability of post office network by providing a combination of commercial services, benefits transactions and government information.

Initiatives such as the successful use of post offices as Police Information Points must be built on and expanded.

Powys has seen one of the most vocal 'Save our Post Offices' campaigns in the country. Last year Roger Williams MP took 2,000 named petitions and more than 200 of our alternative consultation responses to the Minister in Westminster.

Since the closures were announced, along with Lib Dem Powys county councillors and Lib Dem Campaigners, he presented over 2,000 campaign post cards to 10 Downing Street.

The campaign continues with public meetings in all the affected communities and a local working group being set up in Gladestry.

Such a forceful campaign is all thanks to the united help and support of so many people from across the constituency and we continue our fight together.

Please send your input by May 19, marking it confidential if needed, to: Steve Geraty, Network Development Manager, c/o National Consultation Team, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM; consultation@postoffice.co.uk