PRESS RELEASE

November 27th, 2010

Post office snub

Greenock and Inverclyde MSP Duncan McNeil has attacked the Scottish Government for not giving the area’s its fair share after local post offices lost out on a special one-off grant.

Across Inverclyde, six post offices had hoped to receive up to £25,000 from the Post Office Diversification Fund, which was set up to help develop and sustain post offices across Scotland.

But only one local post office, Bow Road, was awarded the full grant while the other four missed out altogether.

Nearly 50 post offices across Scotland received the grant, mostly based in rural areas in the Highlands and Islands. Argyll and Bute had six successful applications.

Mr McNeil has now written to Enterprise Minister Jim Mather, who is also the MSP for Argyll and Bute, asking for clarification of the selection process and asking for more money to be made available to meet the growing demand.

Mr McNeil said: "We have post offices serving some of the poorest areas in the West of Scotland and these communities should have got the benefit of this money.

"While I am pleased that one of our local post offices will be able to put this money to good use, I am disappointed that as many as five did not receive these awards.

"The Scottish Government must remember the key role that post offices play in urban communities like Inverclyde and they need to be supported."

The unsuccessful applicants were James Watt Dock, Port Glasgow, Park Farm and Kilmacolm.

ENDS

http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/support/podiversificationfondscot