Local residents misled over future of Warrender Park Road PO

2.19.00pm GMT Wed 29th Oct 2008

There has been shock amongst local residents as Edinburgh South's Labour MP is making misleading claims on his website that he is appealing against the recent decision to close Warrender Park Road Post Office in Marchmont.

Local Liberal Democrat MSP Mike Pringle has been told categorically by Royal Mail and Postwatch that there is no official appeal process and the Labour MP does not have any special powers over the decision of Royal Mail to close Marchmont's Post Office.

Additionally, it has now been confirmed that the Post Office's last day of business will be Thursday 20th November 2008.

Since the closure was announced last week, dozens of angry and upset residents have been in touch with Mike Pringle MSP and the Edinburgh South Lib Dem team to protest. Many of these people had also been to see the Labour MP. He is claiming to them, and to the wider public through his website that he is 'working closely' with Mr Smalley the sub postmaster to appeal against the decision, but this is simply not the case.

Mike Pringle MSP said, "I understand that the last meeting between Mr Smalley and Nigel Griffiths was on the 9th September at the public meeting organised by the Liberal Democrat team in Marchmont St Giles church. It is deeply misleading for Mr Griffiths to tell worried and concerned local people that he is 'working closely with Mr Smalley the sub postmaster to appeal against the decision' when there is no mechanism to appeal and he has not been in touch with Mr Smalley for seven weeks.

"Making misleading claims to people either in person or on his website will not help save Warrender Park Road post office.

Edinburgh's Labour MPs all had the chance to stop the closures in March this year when they could each have voted against the closure plan; instead Mr Griffiths and his colleagues voted to continue to support the Government Policy and the closure 2500 post offices across the UK."