Marion Fellows will call on Rishi Sunak to block plans to remove DVLA services
The damage which will come from removing DVLA services from Post Offices is incalculable. As chair of the House of Commons All Party Parliamentary Group on Post Offices, I will be joining members of the National Federation of Sub Postmasters and campaigners in delivering a petition to 10 Downing Street on Thursday, November 2.
Elderly people and people with disability will be disproportionately penalised by the DVLA move. The National Federation of Sub Postmasters could not have been clearer in its opposition to the withdrawal of DVLA services from our high street post offices. The petition shows that people from all walks of life are backing them because of the far-reaching damage this will cause.
The UK government – and Rishi Sunak – can put an end to this plan in short order by responding to the compelling concerns which have been raised and can reverse this decision. This is about freedom of choice for customers. People who are not used to using online services, such as elderly people or those with disabilities should be allowed to have an alternative.
Sub-post offices can be and should be nurtured by the UK government because of their role in acting as high street hubs, providing access to cash and increasing footfall in our communities. Our post offices have suffered grievously because of the pandemic and the cost-of-living crisis and there has been far too much emphasis on Post Office bosses awarding themselves bonuses rather than investing in our sub postmasters.
Now is the time for that to change and the UK government can start that process now.