Subbing the post office

Nick Watson Producer Politics Show West Midlands

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The box may be the only thing left here...

A Midlands council is considering stepping in to save some of the 50 post offices threatened with closure in the region. But will council tax payers be happy to foot the bill?

To put it brutally, the post office is a failing business which chalks up millions of pounds of losses every year.

Most other organisations would be left to the mercies of the free market, but in this case, what happens next, may not be so clear-cut.

The reason lies in the emotional attachment many have to their local post office, particularly in rural areas, where they are seen as a focus of community life rather than just a place to buy stamps and tax the car.

Our remote village communities seem to have been singled out for this further body blow Philip Dunne MP, Ludlow

Outreach solution

In the latest round of closures, 53 post offices across Shropshire and Staffordshire are facing the axe, with an "outreach solution" being considered for 12 others - that is a van to you and me.

Already, street protests have taken place and local MPs are rallying round but with the government committed to closing 2,500 post offices to stem Royal Mail's losses of £4m a week - the outlook is not good.

One area which will be hit badly is South Shropshire, and Ludlow MP, Philip Dunne (Con), is far from happy.

Leading the fight

"I am appalled that half of the 28 closures planned for Shropshire will be in the Ludlow constituency.

"Our remote village communities seem to have been singled out for this further body blow to sustaining village life," said Mr Dunne.

Of the 14 post offices facing the axe in his patch, nine are in village shops or garages, many of which could struggle to survive the loss of business which the post office brings.

Over in Staffordshire, the county council has already pledged "lead the fight" to save services.

Council subsidy

We aim to ensure that vulnerable people are not stripped of services until every alternative has been examined Cllr John Taylor, Labour

They have been in contact with Essex County Council - which has announced it wants to subsidise around 15 post offices to the tune of £1.5m, for the next three years.

So will Staffordshire follow suit?

"We aim to ensure that vulnerable people are not stripped of services until every alternative has been examined," said Staffs County Council leader, John Taylor.

Minister's encouragement

"We have ruled nothing in or out at the moment, and that includes transferring some post office services to county council premises," he added.

If local authorities want to take over loss-making post offices, they should be encouraged. Pat McFadden MP, Post Office Minister

Post Office Minister and Wolverhampton South East MP, Pat McFadden, said it is an idea that is worth looking at.

"There is no easy answer to this," he said recently. "But if local authorities want to take over loss-making post offices, they should be encouraged to do so."

Council tax

But at a time when council's are being squeezed on spending, how will this be funded?

And is there really an appetite among the public to foot the bill for services which, in some cases, are used by just a handful of people a week?

Our reporter, Helen Jenkinson, has been finding out if people are willing to pay more council tax to save their local post office.

Also in the programme ...

Elections will not just centre around these two personalities

The countdown to this year's local council elections starts here - and it is not all just about Boris v Ken in London.

In fact, most of the voters taking part in the polls on 01 May, live outside the capital.

Here in the Midlands, Gordon Brown's first electoral test as prime minister will be eagerly dissected by those trying to forecast what might happen at the next General Election - which could be less than a year away.

The uncertain economic climate has also added an extra frisson of excitement in, what is already being seen by party strategists across the board as, a key region full of swing voters.

Tories in charge

A total of 19 councils are going to the polls in this region from Gloucester in the south, to Stoke-on-Trent in the north.

Over the last few years, it has very much been a story of Labour decline as the Conservatives have established themselves as the largest party in local government across wide swathes of our patch.

This culminated in breakthrough in 2007 in Birmingham, which saw the Conservatives become the single largest party of the council since 1983 - although they are still a long way short of seizing overall control.

In 2007, the Tories also took overall control in eight other councils across Warwickshire, Worcestershire, Shropshire, Staffordshire and Herefordshire.

Spa town battle

The centre of government communication - GCHQ

In addition, they also run Coventry City Council - previously a Labour stronghold - and both Dudley and Walsall councils in the Black Country.

This week, our Political Editor, Patrick Burns, begins his series of previews of this year's key council contests in Cheltenham Spa.

Half the council's seats are up for grabs this time, in what will be an important test of whether or not David Cameron's party can take votes from Nick Clegg's Liberal Democrats.

Currently, they both have 17 seats each on what is a hung council.

The Tories will take heart from 2007's results in Malvern Hills, over the border in neighbouring Worcestershire, which saw the Lib Dem vote collapse to give them control.

The Cotswold town's Liberal Democrat MP, Martin Horwood, will be looking on with interest - will the results serve as a pointer to his chances in a General Election?

The Politics Show for the West Midlands, with Jon Sopel and Sarah Falkland on Sunday 13 April, at the later than usual time of 14:00 BST on BBC One after the London Marathon.

If you have an issue you would like us to follow up then please write to the producer of the show: Nick Watson, BBC Politics Show, The Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1RF or email [e-mail]