THE fight is on across Ceredigion to save rural post offices.

Cuts announced by the Post Office earlier this month will devastate communities and must not be allowed to go ahead, say campaigners.

Meetings are being held all over the region this week to make plans to fight closures.

In the south of the county Glynarthen office is set to shut for good, while the mobile service to Blaenannerch will be withdrawn. Post offices in Pontsian and Talgarreg are also to close this summer, although a mobile outreach service is suggested as an alternative.

Leader of Ceredigion County Council, Cllr Keith Evans has formed a working group of councillors who have post offices that are threatened in their wards.

"I am urging them to liaise with their local post office and to hold public meetings. We are promising all the support we can for all efforts to safeguard these post offices and to get full responses together to feed into the consultation," he said.

"There are time constraints because of the local council elections on May 1, but we are starting the work now because the consultation period is short," he added.

A public meeting is being held tonight (Tuesday) at Neuadd Goffa, Pontsian, at 7.30pm.

Postmistress Ann Mayes-Davies is asking everyone in the community to sign the petition in her shop and she will be at the meeting.

Cllr Peter Davies, who is organising the event , has invited representatives of the Post Office to be there.

"Pontsian is a busy, thriving and above all a growing community and we deserve and need to have a post office in the village," he said.

Cllr Cen Llwyd, Talgarreg, said: "We must avoid breaking up our communities. We must campaign against these cuts.

Cllr Ellen ap Gwynn said: "We must come up with the strongest arguments possible to support our post offices. In many cases if we lose the post office we will lose the village shop. It is really important for economic development and sustainable communities that we keep them."

She added : "The services are all important, especially to the elderly and to young parents. Many depend on the village shops, especially if they have no transport of their own. We must fight for them."

*The closure programme for Carmarthenshire will be announced in June and Adam Price, MP for Carmarthen East and Dinefwr, and Rhodri Glyn Thomas AM are already gearing up for a local campaign. Adam Price said: The trade and industry secretary stated that fewer people are using post offices, but if that is the case it is because the Government are withdrawing services from them. Post offices provide a vital service to our communities. In rural areas such as Carmarthenshire the importance placed on post offices cannot be measured."

1:57pm Tuesday 25th March 2008

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