RESIDENTS and parish councillors in Hutton are uping their fight to keep their post office open after owners were told it could be on a list of those to close. The council has started a petition which received 210 signatures at The Taste of Somerset fest

RESIDENTS and parish councillors in Hutton are uping their fight to keep their post office open after owners were told it could be on a list of those to close.

The council has started a petition which received 210 signatures at The Taste of Somerset festival last week, but now wants to take the fight all the way to Whitehall.

Speaking at a parish council meeting on Monday, Councillor John Coote said the petition alone does not really achieve much and they need to make more noise to achieve what they want. They plan to write to all residents in the village and ask them to sign a letter in support of keeping the post open. The pile of letters and the petition will then be taken up to parliament by MP John Penrose.

Hope are high this will make the Government reconsider putting Hutton in the controlled closing programme.

Mike Bell, who owns the post office in Main Road, received a letter stating the post office is in the closing programme, but has stressed no decisions have been made yet over its future.

Before this happens a public consultation for the Somerset and Bristol area will take place in February 2008 when local groups and customers will be able to put forward their views and concerns.