South Pembrokeshire's AM Angela Burns is pressing the county council to save some of the county's axed post offices. She wants the council to follow in the footsteps of Essex County Council which is poised to announce that it will be taking over 15 branches that have been closed in its area. There were concerns that the council might breach European rules on state aid if it took over the running of post offices, but they have now been allayed. "The news that Essex has cleared all the legal hurdles and been told they won't be breaking rules on EU aid is very welcome," said Mrs. Burns. "Their blueprint for working with Post Office Ltd to take over branches should be studied closely by Pembrokeshire. "I wrote to the council's chief executive more than two months ago about this and I have now written again asking him to look into this possibility as it could be a real opportunity to save some of our post offices." Mrs. Burns continued: "We now know which branches are facing outright closure and which are to be replaced with outreach services and it is time for the council to step up to the plate."
