MP & MSP Meet with Local Sub-Postmasters

Banff & Buchan MP Alex Salmond and MSP Stewart Stevenson have met with local sub-postmasters as part of their continuing campaign to secure the future of the local Post Office network.

The meeting, which was held in Lonmay, saw sub-postmasters brief the Parliamentarians on the obstacles and tactics deployed by the Department for Work & Pensions to coerce people away from the Post Office and agree to have their pension paid direct to their bank accounts.

Commenting on the meeting, Mr Salmond said:

“It was quite disgraceful some of the stories which were relayed to me by postmasters at the meeting of the various methods deployed to channel people away from continuing to receive their pension or benefits at their local Post Office.

“I will be raising this directly with Government Ministers using examples supplied to me by local postmasters. It is time that Ministers were made to realise that they cannot say one thing to constituency Members of Parliament while their own Department is doing something quite different.”

Local MSP Stewart Stevenson added:

“All in all, this was a very useful meeting and certainly gives both Alex and myself some fresh ammunition in our fight to ensure that our sub-Post Offices have a viable future and continue to serve our local communities.”

Salmond and Stevenson to Meet with Local Postmasters

Banff & Buchan SNP Parliamentarians Alex Salmond MP and Stewart Stevenson MSP are to meet with local sub-postmasters tomorrow evening (Tuesday) in Lonmay.

The meeting is the latest in a series of initiatives and activities undertaken by the SNP duo in their campaign to secure the future of the Post Office network in Banff & Buchan.

Speaking in advance of the meeting, to which all sub-postmasters in Banff & Buchan have been invited, Mr Salmond said:

“The Post Office is being discriminated against by the Government’s programme to pay benefits into bank accounts rather than continuing to support their local Post Office. This is all the more perverse as most bank branches outside of the main towns have either closed or operate reduced hours.

“A far more sensible option would be for the full range of banking facilities to be available through the Post Office network, thereby securing the future of Post Offices and also allowing customers to access their bank accounts without a journey to the nearest large town.

“This is a view I put forward during a recent Parliamentary debate and in the follow-up meetings I have had with the Scottish banks.”

Mr Stevenson added:

“It is vital that the new modernised Post Office has the opportunity to compete successfully and remain as it always has been as a vital cornerstone of our villages and towns throughout Scotland.”

“I had a useful meeting with Postwatch last month on the future of the rural Post Office network and I will be updating postmasters on that meeting and also looking for feedback.”

Stevenson Backs Control Arms Campaign

Oxfam in Scotland has welcomed the decision of Banff and Buchan MSP Stewart Stevenson, to join their Control Arms campaign. The global campaign, organised by Oxfam and Amnesty International, calls for tighter controls on the arms trade through an International Arms Trade Treaty.

Mr Stevenson has shown his support for the campaign by getting his photo taken for the global ‘million faces’ photo petition and has encouraged local people to follow his example.

Supporting the campaign, Mr Stevenson said:

“I am happy to support this campaign. I receive numerous representations from my constituents and SNP supporters on this and similar issues. I know that my Westminster colleagues have also supported a Parliamentary motion calling for a legally-binding International Arms Treaty.

“The petition organised by Oxfam has already been supported by many tens of thousands of people throughout the world including MPs, MSPs, Scots celebrities, John Hannah and Daniela Nardini, and Dunblane parent and anti-gun campaigner Mick North.”

Oxfam campaigner, Kate Kirton, added:

“Oxfam welcomes Stewart Stevenson MSP’s support for an Arms Trade Treaty. The arms trade is out of control. One person is killed every minute by arms. It is a global problem with horrific local consequences – and it is poor people who suffer the most.

“An international Arms Trade Treaty is desperately needed to stop the flow of arms to those who use them illegally and to help make all our societies safer. The people of Banff and Buchan can make a real difference by getting behind the campaign and adding their voice to the global call to control arms.”