I AM appalled to read that the main post office in Deansgate is likely to close in August — a suspiciously quick action giving no realistic time for public consultation or comment.

Apart from concerns about how its specialist service such as passport application checking, biometric data and business services, for example, can be securely delivered from a small unit designed for retail use, the presence of a main post office in the town centre brings status.

Other towns, like Wigan, fought to retain theirs and our council should be fighting to protect ours.

If this building closes, a huge area of the town centre, for the Beales building, past the former bus station and the long-empty Odeon site to Morrisons supermarket will almost be derelict and the few remaining businesses, including the market, will struggle to survive as footfall diminishes yet again.

It seems that our council is failing to stop the rot.

We have seen plans for the dubious development at Hulton Park passed, despite huge public opposition and Cllr Walsh writes in The Bolton News that when making proposals to relieve the dreadful traffic flow in Blackburn Road, or even the straightforward suggestion that jugs of tap water replace bottles at council meetings, he is told that councillors should not raise individual concerns.

Surely this is what councillors and council meetings are for.

Or are we children to be told what the cabinet deems best for us?

It is time to use the democratic process to invigorate our council before our town centre sinks into total dereliction.

S Loftus

Whitegate Drive

Bolton