MEMBERS from all three political groups on the Waltham Forest Council have slammed Leyton MP Harry Cohen for voting against a Commons motion calling for a rethink on post office closures.

Labour rebels came within 11 votes of forcing the postponement of plans to close 2,500 branches, including six in Waltham Forest and five in Redbridge.

Chingford and Woodford Green MP Iain Duncan Smith voted for the motion, but Leyton and Wanstead MP Harry Cohen did not, to the bemusement and anger of local councillors.

At a full Waltham Forest Council meeting on Thursday, a Liberal Democrat motion opposing the closure programme was amended by the Conservatives to include criticism of Mr Cohen.

The new motion, supported by all three groups said: "This council instructs the interim chief executive to write to Mr Cohen to express deep disappointment that he did not support local post offices."

Conservative Cllr Graham Sinclair described the actions of Mr Cohen and other Labour MPs who voted against the motion as "disgusting and abhorrent."

He said: "Harry Cohen is one of those people who says he is community person first and a Labour man second.

"Is this really looking after the people? I say no, it is not."

Lib Dem group leader Cllr Keith Rayner said those Labour MPs who did not support the Conservative motion "don't have a conscience and don't care."

Cllr Rayner said: " I know that in this chamber my colleagues and party colleagues do care."

Labour Cllr Milton Martin said: "There are times when Harry Cohen does silly things, this is one of them. But he also does good things.

"I'm standing here not fully defending him."

Council leader Clyde Loakes said he was happy to support the council's motion, but pointed out that the Conservatives never said it will continue to match the subsidy Labour has been putting in to the service.

The unsuccessful Commons motion, among other things, called for post office closures to be suspended until geographical factors, transport networks and opportunities for links between post offices and councils had been discussed further.

It also expressed concern that the consultation period is only six weeks.

Walthamstow MP Neil Gerrard did not attend the vote as he is still recovering from heart surgery.

Mr Cohen defended his decision and insisted that he believes post offices should remain open.

He said: "I looked carefully at the motions, especially the two main ones, Conservative and Labour.

"In effect it is a straight choice between the two.

"Generally I have a lot of sympathy with what is in the Tory motion. However, as Gordon Brown pointed out at Prime Minister's questions, the Tories do not say they would commit to any funding for the post office network.

"That makes much of what they put in their motion hollow. Without supportive funding, as the Labour Government is supplying, the situation would be worse than now.

"I therefore voted against the Conservative motion and for the Labour one. However, I have personally met with the Government Whip and said the consultation period is too short and should be extended.

"London Mayor Ken Livingstone has also made this point. Also that the criteria used must properly take into account areas with high levels of deprivation and high usage of the post offices in those areas.

"It does not do so at present. Those post offices should not close.

"The Whip promised me to communicate these essential points to Government Ministers to try to achieve a change in policy in these respects.

"I shall still be making strong representations on behalf of the two post offices in my area which are under threat."