A public meeting will be held on December 18, in the Lesser Caird Hall, to bring together those against the proposed closures.

Councillor Borthwick claimed today that Age Concern Scotland would do all that it could to prevent the closures.

He said, “Communities throughout Scotland are facing a similar threat.

“My colleagues at Age Concern Scotland have held a series of discussions with postal chiefs in an attempt to protect services for the elderly.

“Many older people will miss their local post office and this will cause considerable upset to them.

“While rural sub post offices in villages are exempt from closure, isolation and deprivation are also experienced by many people in urban areas.

“The active campaign to force customers out of post offices and into banks and building societies for the payment of pensions and other benefits has been a critical factor in the deteriorating economic viability of many post offices.”

Councillor Borthwick claimed that the elderly was the group most adversely affected by the proposed closures.

“Pensioners, the disadvantaged and the poor must have their views heard on this issue and any action which articulates effectively the views of those groups and the community generally is to be encouraged,” he continued.

“Around 80% of those aged 65 and over, resident in urban deprived communities, use the post office to collect their pensions.

“And 58% of single parent families receive their cash from the Post Office. The closure of a post office in any area can affect the viability of other local businesses.

“Those who will be most adversely affected by the closures are older people, the poorest in our communities and the least mobile.

“Vital post office services must not be left to the vagaries of economics alone. Let’s have a Post Office with a human face.”

The meeting at the Lesser Caird Hall begins at 7.30 pm.