Laois would suffer from Post Office cull

Portarlington’s Fianna Fáil candidate Willie Murphy has raised alarm over the threat to the future of Laois post offices.

Mr Murphy said widespread post office closures in Laois and the midlands would be devastating .

“We are talking about the threat to the very existence of our post office network. This is extremely serious. The local post office is a focal point for many Laois communities and its loss would have an enormous impact on community life.

“Laois communities have lost too many local services over the past three years. Bank branches have shut down, garda stations have been closed, local schools are under threat, State funding for local services has been cut and many small local businesses have been forced to close or cut jobs because they cannot get the support they need. The loss of post offices on top of all of this would be yet another blow to community life,” he said.

Mr Murphy believe some 557 post offices are threatened by electronic social welfare payments.

“Laois is sure to suffer in this cull. Such a move could cause chaos for regular users of the local post office,” he said.