West Worcestershire MP Harriett Baldwin today welcomed a billion pound deal which will help to secure the future of rural post offices across the county. Postal Affairs Minister Ed Davey announced the additional £1.3 billion of Government funding to halt the programme of post office closures and require the Post Office to maintain its network at the current level. The money will be used to help the Post Office to work with local communities to deliver tailored solutions to maintain counter services. Harriett has had a dialogue with the Minister over a number of rural post offices in Worcestershire and has expressed concern at the number of vacant local post offices. The MP has been lobbying on behalf of Alfrick and Kempsey to try and find solutions to replace post office services following the retirement of the current operators. Harriett commented: “I get lots of correspondence from constituents expressing their frustration at the time it takes to get a Post Office service operational. “However, I hope that with this large Government investment, our network can now be properly preserved for the future and to continue to offer vital services for our rural communities.” The Post Office is trialling a number of solutions for ensuring that communities keep their counter service including using space in shops, hotels and even garden centres. Harriett added: “I welcome any steps which will help to secure the future of our network of rural post offices which are often a mainstay of the community. “Clearly the Post Office have some challenges ahead to ensure a continued service in some of our rural villages and I hope that our local communities can work in partnership to try and find some innovative solutions.”