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POST office bosses who feared their branches would face closure have welcomed news of a crucial benefits payment contract.
Work and Pensions Secretary James Purnell announced last week that ministers were ditching plans to launch a competitive tender for the Post Office Card Account.
Many Derbyshire branches feared they would close if the contract to run the account, through which people receive benefits, pensions and tax credits, was not extended past 2010.
But the Post Office will now continue to run the system until 2015, with the possibility of a further extension.
The news comes ten months after the Post Office closed 35 branches in the county.
Darley Dale subpostmaster Kevin Croker said: "It delighted us to find out the government chose to use common sense rather than look at the economic argument of having post offices closed.
"This would have been a concern to every sub-postmaster. A third of our traffic is from people coming in to collect payments. Any fallout of customers is bound to have an affect on the business.
"After four years of battling at long last sense has been scene by the government to back down."
Derbyshire's Federation of Small Businesses also welcomed the Government's decision.
Regional chairman Paul Maloney, said: "The Post Office has an unrivalled geographical spread, particularly in rural areas, and awarding the contract to the Post Office will help save thousands of Post Offices, businesses and jobs."
Alan Cook, Post Office managing director added: "It's great news for Post Office Ltd, for our subpostmasters and for our customers.
"We will, of course, also be working with other Government departments to drive a wide range of services through the network, while at the same time building on our existing range of financial and other products."
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Weather for Bakewell
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 24 C
Wind Speed: 10 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 22 C
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