AN OFFICIAL of St Helens North Labour Party has accused two local Liberal Democrat councillors of being "out of touch" over Government plans to transfer benefits from post offices to banks.

Alan Cunliffe, the secretary of St Helens North Labour Party, has also accused Councillors John Beirne and Suzanne Knight of "spreading fear" amongst the public instead of "concentrating on the facts."

In a letter to the Star, he said: "I read with interest, Councillors' Beirne and Knight's visit to to London on behalf of the 'Post Office Union' and I was flabbergasted at how out of touch two local representatives could be.

"Firstly, the National Federation of Sub-Postmasters is not the 'Post Office Union' as Mr Beirne claims. That honour goes to the Communication Workers Union. I should know because, as a branch official in the 1980s, I was instrumental in campaigning and lobbying Parliament on behalf of my members to save some of the 3,000 post offices closed by the Tories. "If Mr Beirne and Ms Knight had taken any time to read our leaflet -- 'Post Offices and Benefits -- The Facts' -- then they would know that our MP, Dave Watts had already raised with Ministers, Stephen Byers and Alistair Darling, all their concerns. Concerns that were answered yet again by the Prime Minister at Question time in the House of Commons during their day trip to London."

He added: "Why do the Lib Dems not concentrate on the facts. The Government has clearly stated that benefit recipients will still be able to receive their benefits weekly in cash at a post office, and the elderly and infirm will still be able to nominate someone to collect their money. In addition, this is the first ever Government to attempt to place on the statute book, a clause which will allow sub post offices to be subsidised by the Government.

"Meanwhile, the Tories stay silent on their plans to privatise the post office."