Lagos Council has joined the uproar against the closure of the Post Office in Praia da Luz.
The municipality has requested a meeting with the Minister of Infrastructure so that Councillors can request in the strongest terms that the CTT branch stays open.
The Council says there is a need, "to defend the rights of the population as it’s a service that, although provided by a company from the private sector, is still of public interest."
The Lagos mayor, Joaquina Matos, says that, "the Post Office in Praia da Luz is very popular with the local population, residents and the visiting foreign community, therefore we don’t understanding the reason for the decision to close it,” adding that it should never have been privatised in the first place.
The position now taken by Lagos is a boost to the campaign by Terras do Infante Municipality Association, (Vila do Bispo, Aljezur and Lagos Councils) which opposes the closure of the Post Offices in Praia da Luz and Sagres.
The Communist Party today refers to a, ‘wave of CTT branch closures sweeping the Algarve, faced with silence from the Socialist Party Government.”
So far, closure of stand-alone branches has been announced for Alcoutim, Praia da Luz, Sagres and Estoi. In January this year, the sub-branch was closed in Loulé.
The Communists demand measures to be taken that puts the State back in control of the Post Office.
CTT's response to an algarvedailynews enquiry over store closures, reads as follows:
"CTT has been strengthening access points throughout the country, maintaining the relationship of proximity with the population and ensuring that the needs of the clients are assured.
"We now have 2,392 Access Points, that’s 75 more CTT Access Points compared to 2014, the year of privatisation. More than 100,000 customers a day use these outlets.
"CTT Access Points are opening at a faster rate than Post Offices are closing.
"These solutions aim always to provide a better overall quality in the services that CTT provides and to ensure the provision of the public service such as the payment of social benefits, delivery of warnings and the payment of invoices, have the advantage of being more convenient for the population.
"This retail network maintains a strong presence and proximity to the populations and, through the association with partners, this network contributes to the development of the local economy."
The link http://www.ctt.pt/feapl_2/app/open/stationSearch/stationSearch.jspx shows all current outlets.
