I JOINED the protest outside Essex Road post office this morning to demonstrate against the closure of this important service for local people.

I JOINED the protest outside Essex Road post office this morning to demonstrate against the closure of this important service for local people. I was flabbergasted by the mean-spirited approach of local Liberal Democrat councillors who would not allow me to use the megaphone.

It did not matter much as Councillor Barry Edwards and I used our voices to address local people.

As leader of Islington's Labour councillors I want to work in partnership on this issue. To that end Labour moved a motion at last week's council meeting requesting the council work in partnership with Labour on this. The Lib-Dem councillors struck out of the motion all reference to working together on post office closures. This immature and petulant approach undermines genuine progress on this issue. There is much more we could be doing - for example, identifying possible council office space to re-house post offices. However, the Lib-Dems are not interested in a real solution.

Grow up Lib-Dems, there are solutions but they are best found when we work together, not at cross purposes. - Councillor Catherine West, Leader, Islington Labour group, Town Hall, Upper Street, N1.