The latest plans to launch a major parliamentary inquiry into how to protect the future of the Post Office network is to be welcomed. For my constituents in Widemouth Bay and Marhamchurch this is too late and a classic example of the government closing the stable door after the horse has bolted.

Post offices closures, started by the previous government and continued by the current administration have devastated rural communities. The continuous erosion of services must be reversed if the few which are left are to be protected and enhanced.

Local residents were shocked and appalled at the closures during the Post Office's consultation period. We all knew that the chances of reprieving any post office was very low, and yet local residents pulled out every stop and worked hard in the hope that their village PO might be one of the few reprieved.

What impressed me most was the way in which village campaign groups willingly helped each other with advice and campaign materials, even though helping their neighbouring village could have been detrimental to their attempts to keep their own post office open.

There was a view that the Post Office had made its mind up and that any campaign was a waste of time and effort. Fortunately many of us chose to ignore that view. It was therefore very pleasing to find that two of the only three post offices in Cornwall to have any change to the original proposals were Whitstone and Week St Mary, both of which are in my electoral division. These two post offices are still going to be closed but the revised outreach service proposed is a considerable improvement on what was on offer before.

Now, however, is not the time to sit back with a sigh of relief, we must work at enhancing and protecting what we have left. An initial informal meeting to this end is to take place before Christmas at County Hall with our MP Dan Rogerson, local post masters, and county councillors. Local residents need to take note of the old slogan 'use it or lose it' and any consultation which the government decide to put out during their inquiry needs to be responded to.

We have to ask why was this government enquiry into how to support local post offices not carried out before the closure programme?

Marhamchurch and

Week St Mary

Electoral Division.