Sent to the Herald: 25th September 2007. Not Published
Sir,
I find it saddening that yet another city centre post office in Glasgow is to close, to be replaced by a counter within a WH Smiths. Post offices provide a vital service both to local communities and to businesses, and the closure of the branch which serves Glasgow’s international financial services district cannot be defended as a change for the better. Neither can the potential job losses, as the 16 staff will not be automatically transferred to the new location.
Post offices in Scotland are currently operating at a relatively small annual loss of about £7.5million. The London government’s solution appears to be simply to close branches. The service has been seriously undermined in recent years, with functions such as pension and benefit payments now mainly bypassing the Post Office, and TV Licensing being taken away. It’s the combination of all the separate services which makes the Post Office viable and invaluable to its users.
Our national postal service is not just a business; it is a vital public service. Any normal country would defend this service, but our Labour government only treat it with contempt – what hope have we got when the Department of Work and Pensions now use a private mail company rather than Royal Mail?
Yet another reason for Scotland to ditch London rule and take control of its own affairs.
