SOUTH Lakeland’s MP has told Parliament he believes the existence of 20 post offices in the region are under threat.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, has questioned James Purnell, the Works and Pensions Secretary, over the future of the Post Office Card Account (POCA).

The Card Account system is used by around 6,500 people in the region as a method of collecting their benefits or the state pension.

The Government is currently reviewing the future of the Card Account. Mr Farron believes that if the Post Office Ltd loses the contract to host the account it could mean the deathblow to a score of struggling postal branches in the area