A LIFELINE could be thrown to communities whose post offices are being threatened with closure.

Ten post offices in south Worcestershire are due to axed after a six-week period of consultation and, as previously reported in your Worcester News. many of the communities affected are strongly opposed to their closure.

However, one of four ‘outreach’ services (see panel, right) could continue to provide its vital services.

Richard Hall, spokesman for Post Office Limited, said: “Everything is possible.”

But he said there had to be a good reason for the branch not to close. “A case needs to be made for the branch not to close and a case for the outreach.We put the outreach in small communities where there is a significant distance to the next office so we meet the minimum criteria. It is not a trade-off.”

The proposed closures are part of a national programme to reduce the number of post offices following a fall in the number of people using them.

Closures are based on access criteria which states 99 per cent of the population should be within three miles of a post office.

Public consultation about the closures started on Wednesday, August 27, and you can express your views by writing to Mark Partington, Network Development Manager, c/o National Consultation Team, Freepost Consultation Team.