ROSSENDALE Council is appealing to the government to save the Valley's post offices.

Coun Darryl Smith proposed the move at a meeting of the full council.

He urged councillors to agree to write to the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) and oppose the recent and planned closures of post offices nationwide.

Coun Smith said: "The government has closed more than 4,600 post offices since 1997 - 15 of which have been in Rossendale and Darwen .

"It plans to close a further 2,500 over the next 18 months, despite it promising in 2001 that it would keep post offices open except in unavoidable circumstances'.

"Yet the circumstances of these post office closures were totally avoidable if the government had not tinkered with the services offered by the post office, such as benefit payments, pension payments, TV licences, car tax and passports."

He added: "These closures cause a great deal of difficulty - I have first hand experience of these difficulties following the closure of the post office in Stubbins in my ward.

"Stubbins has a high percentage of elderly residents who relied on the post office not only for pension payments but for help in completing benefit forms and for paying utility bills. Very often post offices provide a social value role in the community they serve and this is not being recognised by this government.

"The DTI document setting out the way forward for the post office network states that in rural areas 95 per cent of the population will be within three miles of a post office'. Three miles is a long way for a pensioner."

His views were backed by fellow Conservatives. Coun Brian Essex described the government's policy as an "absolute national disgrace".

The move was also backed by opposition councillors. Labour group leader Coun David Hancock said: "This should not be seen as a political issue, as post offices have been closing for years, during Tory governments too.

"We all support this motion, but I would ask that it is not taken as a political point because we are as concerned about the issue as anybody."

Independent councillor Alan Neal added his voice to the make support unani-mous, saying: "The govern-ment needs to have a major rethink on this policy, which millions are opposed to."

It was agreed that the council chief executive will write to the DTI to convey the council's opposition.