A seven-week consultation began today on cost-cutting plans to shut post offices in Peterborough along with 23 others across Cambridgeshire.

Peterborough's proposed closures:

• Oundle Road, Woodston,


• Lincoln Road, New England


• Mayors Walk, West Town.

Other post offices also under threat of closure across Cambridgeshire:

• Harecroft Road, Wisbech


• St Peter's Road, March


• Great Stukeley


• Great Gidding


• Station Road, Holme


• High Street, Ramsey St Mary's


• High Street, Benwick

Post Office bosses claim their closure proposals will leave "99 per cent" of customers still within a mile of their nearest branch, but the move has been condemned by the area's MPs.

And the sub-postmaster of one of the threatened branches has broken his silence to speak out on his fears for the future.

Rajesh Sanpat, who runs the post office in Oundle Road, Woodston, said: "I have known about this since May but I have been legally gagged until it was made public. I'm obviously not happy about it.

"The news came as a bit of a blow and I can't understand why we have been chosen. My post office is a successful business and we are a very busy office.

"I have three ladies working for me and this means their jobs are under threat.

"I wouldn't like to guess what impact it will have on the community but it is not going to be good."

The proposed measures are part of nationwide plans to shut 2,500 branches in a bid to stem losses within the post office network of millions of pounds every week.

A public consultation on the plans has opened today, giving people until August 26 to have their say on the branches earmarked for closure.


SHOULD the Post Office be closing local branches in spite of the services they provide for often disadvantaged members of the community?
Comment below or email news@ peterboroughtoday.co.uk.
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Conservative MPs Shailesh Vara and Stewart Jackson both condemned the proposals and urged people to put pressure on Post Office bosses to change their minds.

Mr Vara, who represents North West Cambridgeshire, said: "I am extremely disappointed these branches have been targeted for closure by the Post Office. Each and every one of them plays a vital role providing services to their communities and each and every one will be missed by residents if they close."

Mr Jackson said the closures would be a "crushing blow" for people in his Peterborough constituency.

He said: "I call on the Government to halt these entirely unnecessary closures.

"It is the most disadvantaged in society - like the elderly and disabled - who rely on the post office the most, and ministers must look for sustainable ways to keep our Post Office network open for business."

Post Office officials say it was a "difficult decision" to earmark 26 branches in Peterborough and Cambridgeshire for closure.

But they insist the vast majority of customers will still have good access to their nearest post office facility even if the closures go ahead.