Following the revelation that the Royal Mail's consultation on post office closures in Glasgow will mean that any Post Office saved will only be replaced by another in the same area Glasgow SNP MSP Sandra White has called for a moratorium on the current process.

She said: "This is no real consultation and these are damning findings. When the Labour Government proposed these closures they promised that consultation would be entered into but it's not worth the paper it's written on.

"What does it mean that if one Post Office is saved in the present consultation another in the area will be closed? Does this not mean that another consultation will have to take place on that closure? Or will they just go ahead with closure regardless?

"It's a mess and a moratorium on this consultation should be put in place.

"Many constituents have written to me with their views and would be horrified to know that if their post office stays open then the one up the road closes.

"It would seem the public can write in but the decisions have already been taken!

"I have written to the Prime Minister to ask him if he is aware of the Post Offices perverse take on 'consultation' and to ask him to halt these closures and hold a proper consultation on the future of Post
Offices.

"A proper consultation should be one in which the Scottish Parliament and Local Councils are given a central role in any future changes which will directly affect the people they serve.

"This whole episode appears to be a sham in the way it has been handled, firstly by Labour MPs in Scotland expressing outrage at the decision, when in fact every last one of them voted for the closures back in 2002 and now with a 'consultation' that would appear to be a sham.

"I will be tabling a motion in the Scottish Parliament calling for a moratorium and hope that we can act in time to save our local post offices by holding the Royal Mail to account for its lack of consultation"

Note:

A copy of the email to Sandra White's office is below admitting that if one post office comes off the closure list another will be added.

Dear Jacqueline,

Thank you for your email.

The public consultations are being collated on each post office branch in the Area Plan to ensure we gather as much information as possible.

If, at the end of the consultation period, a post office branch is removed from the list of proposed closures, then we would then have to propose another branch for closure within this area plan.

Kind regards,

Connie Hewitt
External Relations Manager
Royal Mail Group
10 Brunswick Road
Edinburgh