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SUB-POSTMASTERS throughout the Test Valley have won the support of Romsey MP Sandra Gidley for their fight against Government move which could deal a further blow to the future of Post Offices.

Pam Henley, Sub Postmaster at King's Somborne, is leading the fight to preserve the present Post Office Card Account (POCA) system.

Mrs Henley told the Advertiser this week: "This service is now under threat. The Government is currently considering bids to run a new POCA from 2010 and we have serious concerns that it may decide to award the contract to another bidder."

Around 200 people collect their pensions from King's Somborne Post Office using POCA.

Mrs Henley said: "I believe that the Post Office is best placed to continue to provide this service. We offer local, convenient access for customers who trust the staff and the Post Office brand.

"It also means customers won't have to fill out more forms, be forced to open bank accounts or travel long distances to inconvenient and unfamiliar locations. Also, there is only a limited bus service to Stockbridge and no bus service to Romsey."

She added: "If the contract is given to someone else, it will be a further blow to the Post Offices. It could mean that the Post Office has to close and if that happens, it could affect the village shop side of things as well."

Mrs henley said many village shops need their sub post offices to make them viable.

In response to calls from Post Offices in her constituency, Mrs Gidley has written to Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

She said this week: "We have lost Post Offices in the recent cuts and if the Government doesn't keep them viable, we will lose more."

She suggested that when the card account system was first set up, there was a lack of keenness on the part of the Government to make them work.

"Now," she said, "the Government doesn't seem to have a long-term commitment to what was a very useful idea in the first place."

The MP said she had received piles of cards from Post Office customers protesting at the possible change of direction.

Meanwhile, the National Federation of Sub Post Masters is stepping up its campaign for the contract to stay with the Post Office .

It said in a statement: "The NFSP estimates that the loss of POCA income and associated footfall will force 3,000 more post offices to close."

At the NFSP's headquarters in Sussex, a spokesperson said POCA's were used by around four million people across the UK.

The recent round of Post Office closures, which included some in the Test Valley - Chilworth, Lockerley and West Tytherley were among them - brought the national network down to around 11,500 .

But he added that the Post Office had prepared a very strong case and that there would not be another bidder with the same geographical reach.

But there was a boost for village shops and Post Offices at a meeting of Test Valley Borough Council's cabinet last week.

Having decided last year to give grants up to £5,000 to community village shops that had lost their Post Office counters, the cabinet decided to extent the scheme to private village shops.

Cabinet member and Conservative councillor Caroline Nokes said: "These are important ways in which we can help village stores at a difficult time and hopefully will offset some of the loss to those who have lost their Post Offices.

"The Government's decision to withdraw Post Office counters from some of our more remote village stores has hit communities hard and Test Valley Borough Council has looked at ways in which we can help."

9:33am Friday 8th August 2008

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