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Post Office fight's Downing St date
Residents, council chiefs and The Star were travelling to Downing Street today to hand in a petition opposing post office closures across Sheffield.
Almost 18,000 people have signed petitions calling for 16 threatened branches to be saved.
Council leader Coun Paul will lead the delegation and will visit Downing Street with Jenny Hobson, of Norfolk Park Tenants' and Residents' Association, Les and Jenny Brown, whose nearest branch in Oakbrook Road is under threat, and Tony Cherry, from the Federation of Small Businesses.
And The Star will join the group to report on their visit.
Deputy leader Coun David Baker, who has been counting some of the names on the petition, said: "We knew there would be very strong feelings about this and people have responded in their thousands.
"These closures will be really hard-hitting. Not everyone has the option of jumping into a car and driving a mile or so to the next nearest post office.
"From the comments we've received through the online petition, some people literally do not know what they will do if their post office closes. In recent weeks we've met the people who will be most affected, including the elderly, disabled people, those who rely on public transport and people who do not have bank accounts.
"We've also heard from business people whose small enterprises already operate to the tightest margins - the extra costs of using couriers could be a stretch too far. People have been very active in collecting signatures within their own communities."
A total of 8,337 people made their views known via the council's petition, either by signing copies at the Town Hall, First Points or local libraries, or by registering their comments online.
Petitions on behalf of other groups in the city will also be presented - more than 9,407 signatures with 1,827 from Norfolk Park alone.
- See tomorrow's Star for an exclusive report from London.
- A Rotherham MP has called on Post Office bosses to reconsider proposals to close branches in his constituency.
Wentworth MP John Healey said he felt managers had "not considered" several issues involved at Parkgate and Harley.
What do you think? Add your comment below.
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Weather for Sheffield
Saturday 26 May 2012
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: East
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: East
