A Fine Gael TD has described a decision by An Post to close a post office in a West Cork village as “anti-democratic, mean-spirited and short sighted”.

Decision to close post office in Leap criticised

A spokesman for An Post said yesterday it was removing its presence from Leap for a number of reasons.

The post office in the village has been closed since February 25, but hopes of getting it reopened were dashed yesterday when An Post announced it wouldn’t be readverstising the position of postmaster.

The company said it made the decision following a local public consultation process which was carried out in October.

The spokesman said a combination of not having enough business at the post office, the availability of nearby post offices and their capacity to handle extra business had been deciding factors in the decision.

However, Jim Daly TD said the decision was “anti-democratic, mean-spirited and short-sighted”.

“To confirm the closure of Leap Post Office a few weeks before Christmas is to deny a community access to one of its most valued services and is not in the spirit of what this Government and the local community are working so hard to achieve,” Mr Daly said.

He said there had been a lot of investment in the village in recent years by local entrepreneurs who have faith in the future of Leap, but it was apparent that An Post wasn’t interested in matching this enthusiasm.

“Shame on An Post, a semi-state body, for not giving this community a chance to show their commitment to their post office,” he said.

The move was also criticised by Labour deputy Michael McCarthy.