It is official: all 22 post offices marked for closure in Oxfordshire will be out of action early next month.

During the consultation period, thanks to the Oxford Mail, a petition with 6,000 signatures has been handed over at 10 Downing Street, and 11,000 signatures against closure have been sent to the Post Office.

The actions by the Post Office have been dictated by the Government.

A motion by the combined opposition parties to postpone these closures has been defeated, blocking any way out of the current situation. Why am I upset about all this?

There are three reasons: Firstly any Post Office closure is a disaster for some people and a big nuisance for many more. Every day there are customers who need help.

Secondly, I resurrected the Iffley Post Office in 2002, and I have been running it for four years (nothing compared to many other places), before Dian took over. I am sad to see this work being compulsively terminated.

The last reason is perhaps the most important one. Last year, the Rose Hill Post Office closed, leaving thousands of people without easy access to a post office. The business in the Iffley office has doubled or tripled during that time. No wonder that most of the signatures on the petition came from Rose Hill.

Yes, I am very angry. As far as I can see, the only concession the Post Office has made is to delay the final outcome of this exercise until after the local elections.

HERMAN HUYG, Stones Court, St Clements, Oxford