Assembly Member urges Post office to embrace Credit Unions

[TrueBlueTerrier]

http://welshlibdems.org.uk/en/article/2 ... dit-unions" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The Welsh Liberal Democrat Assembly Member for South Wales West, Peter Black has called on the Post Office to embrace credit unions so as to help tackle the power of loan sharks and improve services to local communities.

Mr. Black, who is a member of LASA Credit Union in Swansea, said: "Both credit unions and local post offices provide vital services to their local communities. The post office is often the way that many people can get easy access to their money without a long and costly trip by public transport. Credit Unions seek to combat financial exclusion and provide savings products and affordable ethical credit to their members. They are particularly important in combatting loan sharks, who often prey on vulnerable people.

"I know that the Governments in Westminster and Cardiff Bay are eager to promote cooperation between credit unions and post offices so that people can access services at the post office counter. However, despite some limited successes such as in Llanelli, this view has not been accepted across Wales.

"Both the Communication Workers Union, and Nick Tregoning, the Cabinet Member for Social Services in Swansea, want to see the relevant Minister in the Welsh Government use his influence to bring about a meeting between senior managers in the Post Office in Wales and credit unions in South Wales so that they can explore how to take things forward. I fully support that and will be pressing for it in the Senedd."

[andy2007]

It'd need some kind of protection, to prevent the Government selling it off, the next time they're short of money. After all, that's what they did with the Girobank, which provided Banking services via The Post Office. Although I'm not sure if they provided loans, or not. It's a while since they sold it.