John Woodcock (Barrow and Furness) (Lab/Co-op)

- Hansard -

It is with considerable pride that my last act in this Parliament before prorogation is to present a petition of 7,846 residents of Barrow and Furness—of course, overwhelmingly in the town of Ulverston—to save Ulverston post office.

Ulverston post office has been an essential part of community life in its building in County Square for more than 100 years, so we were devastated to find that it had been placed under threat of closure by the Government’s latest reforms. There has been an extraordinary response from the town. Well over half of all the residents have already signed the petition. My particular thanks go to Mr Malcolm Tyson, who has probably gathered more than half these signatures on his own. He tells me he has walked more than 500 miles to save Ulverston post office, and I hazard that he would probably walk 500 more to be the one who did save it. This issue is critical.

The petition states:

The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to make provisions to ensure that the Post Office remains open and available for use by the community.

As long as I remain the strong, independent Labour voice for Barrow and Furness, I will back them to the hilt.

Following is the full text of the petition:

[The petition of constituents of Barrow and Furness,

Declares that Ulverston Post Office has been a central part of the community for over 100 years and serves as a lifeline for many residents; further that the petitioners believe it should remain in County Square with no loss of services to users and no reduction in jobs for its local employees.

The petitioners therefore request the House of Commons to make provisions to ensure that the Post Office remains open and available for use by the community.

And the petitioners remain, etc.]

[P002042]