500 residents of the villages of Rowlands Gill and Highfield in western Gateshead have signed a petition calling for the Post Office Card Account (POCA) to be retained.
POCA is used by elderly people to collect their state pensions through branches of the Post Office. But the government has recently ordered POCA to be axed and elderly people will be required to open bank accounts and receive their pensions through banks instead.
There are widespread fears that this will make it harder for older people to collect their money and many Post Office branches will close as a result of lost business.
The petition has been organised by Liberal Democrats. Petition co-ordinator Dr Jonathan Wallace, who is a Gateshead Councillor, said, “Many people are angry about the government’s decision to end the Post Office Card Account.
“If a Post Office branch closes as a result of the loss of business POCA brings, it is not just the elderly who lose out. Whole communities will see the closure of important social assets, which is what Post Offices are.
“We have been pleased with the response to the petition so far where we have carried it out. We will be collecting more signatures over the summer from across much of Gateshead.”
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