There is bound to be a great deal of concern at the news that 2,500 more as-yet-unidentified post offices are to close in the next 18 months under a radical restructuring of the network.

The effects of the last round of cuts are still being felt in Bradford, not only in the city centre where, since the closure of the Bank Street branch, customers have faced an uphill slog to the two remaining branches but also in those outlying villages and suburbs which lost an important community facility.

The local post office is more than just somewhere people can buy stamps and postal orders. It is a focal point, a meeting place, somewhere to catch up on gossip and keep in touch with local affairs. The loss of such a facility is a blow to the fabric of any community.

Trade and Industry Secretary Alistair Darling points out that "people are simply not using post offices as they once did", which is no doubt true. But that is not entirely down to market forces or personal preference. One factor contributing to the decline is the way the Government has strongly encouraged pensioners and claimants to have their benefits paid into a bank instead. Another is the cancellation of the Post Office's contract to collect the TV-licence fee.

If fulltime post offices are to be closed in such numbers, it is important that the idea of setting up "outreach locations" in village halls, shops and community centres, perhaps even in pubs, is pursued energetically to enable as many people as possible to continue to enjoy the convenience and social benefits of local post-office facilities.