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Last-ditch effort for post offices
TALKS are to take place between postmasters and senior council officials in a bid to save three doomed Blackpool post offices.
Layton's Torsway Avenue post office, St Annes Road post office in South Shore and Red Bank Road post office in Bispham were among 11 Fylde branches officially axed on Tuesday.
But council chiefs hope there may still be a last minute escape if they can strike a deal with the Government and Post Office Ltd.
See our Stand up for Post Offices section here
The plan aims to make the offices "self-sustainable" by taking on council services alongside their post office operations in a bid to make them more profitable.
Negotiations are now under way with Post Office Ltd and, barring contractual hiccups, council chiefs will soon be able to look at the accounts of the three branches to see if the rescue plan is viable.
The offices are set to close towards the end of this month as part of Post Office's nationwide closure programme.
"We are arranging meetings with the people from the three post offices on Monday," said council leader Coun Peter Callow said.
"We will then need to look at the finances of the three post offices to make sure they stand up and it is possible for them to become profitable.
"Then if we are satisfied the businesses will not become a burden to the taxpayer we will look for match-funding from the Government for the money we would put in. We are pressing on, but obviously these things take time and we also have to make sure the taxpayer isn't left paying to sustain the offices."
Meanwhile, consumer body Postwatch today welcomed the decision to save Lytham's Warton Street post office.
It was the only one of 58 Lancashire offices earmarked for closure to be saved following six-weeks of pubic consultation.
Mike Jones, from Postwatch, said: "We pointed out to Post Office Ltd the high percentage of elderly users, that public transport links are not that good and the potential for further properties being built nearby.
"We had concerns about this particular proposal on the basis that customers would have been excessively inconvenienced were it to proceed."
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Weather for Blackpool
Wednesday 30 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 12 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: West
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Temperature: 12 C to 16 C
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