BY their very nature, our rural communities tend to be among the last to benefit and take advantage of new technology.

They lag behind urban areas in embracing the age of the internet and tele-banking.

That is why it seems unfair that these communities, those most reliant on traditional over-the-counter services, are the first to suffer in the wave of proposed bank and post office closures prompted by the march of modernisation.

However, on this page, the Prime Minister outlines a cogent case for the post office network to embrace change, and to embrace it now.

It is plain that the traditional rural post office as we know it cannot survive for long.

But it is pleasing to note Mr Blair's understanding of the vital role post offices play in the countryside, where often they are the only retail outlet for miles and the hub of the local community.

The proposals set out by the Government yesterday offer post offices the chance to retain their key function in village life.

To have any long-term viability, post offices have to adapt. And the growing exodus of banks from rural areas has provided them with a vacuum they may be able to fill profitably.

It is now up to the owners of post offices to rise to the challenge. They need to innovate to survive.

The challenge is also with the banks who have decided to pull out of communities where they have had loyal customers, and where they have made sizeable profits down the years.

While they may feel it is appropriate to close branches, they must not abandon their customers. They have a duty to provide support for rural post offices as they go about their transformation into "universal banks".

The onus is also on those in the countryside to support their local post office by making full use of the services it provides.

And while it may shy away from offering wholesale subsidies, the Government has the scope to support these ventures.

We urge it to examine the current business rate structure to ensure that rural businesses have a chance to be competitive, and not become the victims of a slow lingering death under the onslaught from out-of-town shopping developments.