This petition was signed by 3,160 residents of the East Acton and Old Oak wards in my Constituency who oppose the closure of the East Acton Post Office. It was presented to me outside the post office last week by Bill Davidson of The Acton Alliance, and John Keating, John Palmer and Paul Keegan of the Old Oak Tenants and Residents Association. They and a number of other signatories were so incensed by the proposal to destroy an essential part of their community that they wished to be here tonight to hear this, but I am glad that I persuaded them that they should not be.

May I finally say that this may be a rare example of a petition succeeding on the day that it is presented—or the day before it was presented, given the time—because on Tuesday morning the Post Office Ltd published plans to close 169 sub-post offices in London and gave East Acton post office as the alternative post office to a number that were closing? We deduced from that that it is to stay open. I am grateful for that, but as seven of the 16 sub-post offices in my constituency are due for closure, I may be back with petitions in the near future.

The petition states:

The Petition of East Acton Residents,

Declares that the Post Office in Old Oak Common Lane is an essential part of our community.

The Petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to intervene in keeping our Post Office at 71 Old Oak Common Lane, W3, open.

And the Petitioners remain, etc.

[P000125]