Oxfordshire County Council is looking into the possibility of taking over the running of 22 under-threat Post Offices.

The move follows a decision by Essex County Council to negotiate taking control of some threatened branches within its area.

It said 15 of the 31 branches which recently closed in Essex could reopen within the next two months. Oxfordshire County Council said it remained cautious about the idea's potential financial impact on council tax payers, but confirmed it had made contact with County Hall in Chelmsford, Essex.

Such a take over of Post Office branches could see facilities used to provide council services alongside dispensing stamps and pensions. Keith Mitchell, the leader of Oxfordshire County Council, said: "We are interested in examining the Essex scheme to see if there is anything we can learn from it, and have already been in touch with them.

"We are certainly looking at our threatened Post Offices to see if space could be found in a council facility to avoid closure, but I do not believe this will be likely.

"We do not believe we should be taking on financial responsibility for threatened Post Offices from the Government, who have withdrawn subsidy and precipitated the crisis.

"Our council tax payers would not thank us for increasing council tax to bail out the Government. We will continue to press the Government to maintain the present subsidy for another year to allow more time to find alternatives."

At closure-threatened Iffley Post Office, which is in a volunteer-run general store, the reaction was positive. Anne Ryan, chairman of the shop committee, said: "We would be delighted for anyone to keep it running. Any kind of help whatsoever would be great news.

"We would do anything in our power to keep the Post Office here.

"It is very feasible to include council services here.We have a very able postmistress and we would be happy to offer other services."

Dharmaraj Prasad, who has been postmaster at Grandpont Post Office, in Abingdon Road, Oxford, for 22 years, said: "I support this idea 100 per cent. I support any way this Post Office can continue to run for its community. If the council is interesting in doing this, I will be the first to come to talk to them."