Post Office must win card account contract

The SNP National Council meeting in Perth today called upon the UK

Government to ensure that Post Office is awarded the contract for the

successor to the Post Office Card Account, currently out to tender.

Fears have been expressed that if the Post Office do not get the contract

there will be another round of substantial post office closures, the

National Federation of Sub Postmasters predict around 350 in Scotland

alone.

Mike Weir MP, SNP Spokesperson on Post Office, moved a topical motion at

the council. Commenting he said

"The tender currently only specifies that the successful bidder must have

a network of at least 10,000 outlets, but there is no requirement for

there to be a significant number of rural outlets. Only the Post Office

has enough outlets to be able to offer a service covering both urban and

rural areas."

"The current Post Office Card Account is the only financial service

available in many of our rural areas and is also vital income for many sub

post offices. If the Post Office were to loose this contract it would be

the death knell of many more sub post offices and we would face yet

another round of savage cuts.

"The UK Government were directly responsible for the current mess by

removing benefit and pension payments from the Post Office. The Card

account was an attempt to arrest that decline and if it was now to go it

would spell disaster."