Gainsborough MP Edward Leigh today called for the Government to get behind the Post Office and live up to its promise to make the Post Office ‘the front office for government’. The DVLA is currently deciding whether to continue to allow people to renew their car tax, get their driving licence, and access other DVLA services from their local Post Office. He said:

“local communities are built around the nucleus of the local shop, pub, and – crucially – the post office. If the DVLA withdraw access to government services it will make it more difficult for village post offices to survive, and make rural village life more difficult for everyone. The fact that hundreds of my constituents have written to me on this subject just shows the strength of feeling when it comes to Post Office provision being taken away.

“Post offices are perfectly placed to act as the ‘front office for government’, so I believe that as far as possible Government services should be provided through them. When I was Post Office Minister I fought to give Post Offices viable income streams, and it’s something which I still strongly believe in today.

 “I think that we should be doing all that we can to ensure that we have a thriving Post Office system fit for the future. As part of that, people must be able to access DVLA services within their local Post Office.”