Grants for Rural post offices

LABOUR Mid and West AMs Joyce Watson and Rebecca Evans have congratulated 4 post offices in Mid & West Wales that have been awarded grant funding to expand their businesses.
Penybontfawr and Pendre post offices are to receive £20,000 and £5,000 respectively and Llandovery and Capel Hendre post offices are to receive £3,680.46 and £5,000 respectively from the Welsh Government’s Post Office Diversification Fund which helps local post offices provide new services for the community.
Mrs Watson said:
“This extra money will enable these post offices to offer an even better service to their customers. It is especially welcome at this time, with rural bank branch closures and the privatisation of Royal Mail creating uncertainty about the future of the rural postal network.”
Rebecca Evans added:
“This funding is continuing support from the Welsh Government for the post office network in Wales – in the last decade investing £10 million in capital improvement grants for 500 post offices – the UK Government, however, is putting them in jeopardy with the privatisation of the Royal Mail. The National Federation of SubPostmasters recently commented on the sell-off of Royal mail calling the sell-off a “reckless gamble with the future of the post office network”. Royal Mail and the Post Office Network are intrinsically linked and this UK government do not seem to understand how important rural post offices are.”
For more information contact Joyce Watson’s office on 02920 898972 or at www.joycewatson.org.uk