MORE than 400 people in Ulverston have expressed their outrage over the proposed closure of a vital community asset.
After it was announced the Ulverston Crown Post Office had to find a franchise partner or close, Barrow and Furness MP John Woodcock quickly organised a petition.
In less than two weeks it has garnered 414 signatures and counting.
Mr Woodcock was angered when Post Office Ltd revealed the Ulverston branch was one of 37 which had to find a franchise partner or close.
He has urged the people of Ulverston to step up the fight to save their post office after managers refused to guarantee its future at a meeting with him in the House of Commons.
Mr Woodcock said: “Post office managers have been instructed by government to carry out this change programme even though the Crown offices they are targeting tend to be more profitable than the network overall.
“The manager who came to the Commons to meet me was clear he was not authorised to give me the guarantee our community needs - that the full range of services will be available in Ulverston town centre come what may.
"So I will take the case directly to the government minister responsible for the network. The more people we can get signing the petition against closure, the stronger our voice will be."
Let us know what you you think about the potential closure
The decision by Post Office Ltd to put dozens of branches nationwide out for franchise has been put down to cost-cutting.
The company has continued its latest round of cost-cutting measures into 2017; the previous year saw hundreds of jobs axed and workers going on strike over pension changes.
Post Office Ltd has confirmed it is actively seeking a partner within Ulverston. However, if none was found, seven jobs at the branch would be put at risk.
Mr Woodcock was told that successfully franchising the service would mean that no services were lost, and that the Post Office "was not looking to close post offices".
Click here to sign the online petition.
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