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Post office closures confirmed | Post office closures confirmed |
(10 minutes later) | |
As many as 200 post offices in Northern Ireland may be closed after a government announcement. | As many as 200 post offices in Northern Ireland may be closed after a government announcement. |
Trade Secretary Alistair Darling confirmed plans for the closure of about 2,500 post offices across the UK. | Trade Secretary Alistair Darling confirmed plans for the closure of about 2,500 post offices across the UK. |
Wendy Cairns, of the Northern Ireland Federation of Subpostmasters, said an estimation of 200 closures in Northern Ireland would be "fair enough". | |
However, the exact number of closures and whereabouts in Northern Ireland will not be known for some time. | |
Ms Cairns said Stormont could be the key to saving what post offices remain after the cuts. | Ms Cairns said Stormont could be the key to saving what post offices remain after the cuts. |
"It's now about securing the 300 or so post offices that remain after today," she said. | "It's now about securing the 300 or so post offices that remain after today," she said. |
"Our MLAs, by giving us admin work such as dog licensing or just general form checking, could prove vital," she said. | |
There are approximately 540 post offices at present in Northern Ireland, with many, especially rural ones, seen as being at the heart of communities. | |
Making the announcement, Alistair Darling said 4 m fewer customers were using post offices every week than two years ago and it was losing £4m a week. | Making the announcement, Alistair Darling said 4 m fewer customers were using post offices every week than two years ago and it was losing £4m a week. |
A spokesman for Royal Mail in Northern Ireland said: "The Government has now come to a decision about the future shape and size of the UK's post office network. | |
"Post Office Ltd's task now is to look carefully at the strict criteria set by the government and plan how best to implement them across the country." |