THE Civic Society in Addingham has launched a campaign for residents to use the village post office on Main Street, or face the prospect of losing it.

According to Civic Society member Don Barrett, new methods of pensions and benefit payment could make little used post offices redundant.

Mr Barrett said: "No village is complete without at least one pub and, most importantly, a post office. We are well equipped with pubs and have a post office but for how much longer?"

Mr Barrett said that the Government wanted to pay pensions and benefits directly into the bank accounts of recipients, a move which is intended to save money and cut down on fraud.

The Government aims to be paying all benefits and pensions into bank accounts by 2005 and will begin writing to people this month, and to retirement pensioners in January next year, offering three options for payment. They are:

l Payment into standard bank accounts.

l Payment into 'basic' or 'introductory' bank accounts.

l Payment into post office 'Card Accounts'.

He said that those choosing a card account at the post office would have a plastic card and a personal identification number instead of their present order book.

Pensions or benefits would be paid into this account which will differ from a bank account by having no overdraft, chequebook or interest on the money.

Already, said Mr Barrett, he has noticed new keypads which have been put in beside the counter at the post office.

The difference between this account and the order book method of payment is that pensioners and people receiving benefits through the order book have to mainly use their local post office to withdraw money. With the card account, people will be able to use any post office at all.

Mr Barrett said: "We worry that if a significant proportion of local recipients stop getting their money from the Addingham Post Office then this will become unviable and we shall lose a facility which we consider vital to the future of the village as a community.

"There is already a threat that the doctor's surgery will close and if we have to go to Ilkley for post office services and healthcare then people will tend to get everything else there and Addingham will become nothing more than a shop-less dormitory suburb which will hurt all, particularly the less mobile.

"We value the local post office and the village as a community, we urge you to get your money, as well as postal and other services in George Street.

"Remember that customers of most banks can already make payments and cash cheques at the post office so please use it or we will all lose out."

Parish Council chairman Gordon Campbell backed up the Civic Society's campaign.

Councillor Campbell said: "Any campaign to keep the post office going will be fully supported by the Parish Council."

He said that many pensioners were reluctant to use different forms of banking and the loss of the village post office would have a massive effect on the elderly.

"The village post office offers the majority of the range of services available at any post office, including car tax. It is one of the hubs of the village," said Coun Campbell.