Liberal Democrat MP Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk Michael Moore welcomed a boost to the Post Office card account yesterday with the announcement of the new £250million, seven-year contract by the UK Government.

The card account is used by around 2.5m people to claim their pensions and benefits at their local post office. Lib Dem Pensions Minister Steve Webb told MPs that the new contract will run from March 2015.

Michael Moore said:

“This new contract for the Post Office card account is good news for our local Post Offices which continue to be the heartbeat of communities here in the Borders.

“Many people in the Borders use the post office to collect their pensions, benefits and other services. I hope that this new agreement will help sub-postmasters attract more business and generate greater income.”