News from Southampton Labour

Southampton MPs attack government plans to sell off Royal Mail

Tory proposals put our local post offices and postal services are at risk.

John Denham and Alan Whitehead have attacked the Coalition Government’s plans to privatise the Royal Mail. These proposals would put the future of Southampton’s post offices in jeopardy. Post offices cannot survive without a guarantee of the business that they get from Royal Mail.

Mr Denham, MP for Southampton Itchen and Shadow Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills said: “The government’s talks about stopping post office closures but its actions show the opposite. They recently blocked Labour’s plans to enable the Post Office to offer banking services – a Peoples’ Bank. This is a huge missed opportunity to help sustain the Post Office network in the future. And the Government’s privatisation of Royal Mail will threaten thousands of post offices for years to come.

“Post offices can’t survive without the business that they get from Royal Mail but the coalition is determined to sell Royal Mail without legislating for any long term commitment to post offices.”

Dr Whitehead, MP for Southampton Test, said: “The Tories are determined to sell Royal Mail without legislating for any long term commitment to post offices.

“At the moment the Royal Mail has an agreement to use the post office network for its counter services. But this is under threat.

“Government plans could mean a privatised Royal Mail choosing to use other outlets for its counter services, such as supermarkets or a high street chain, and could easily cut down the number of outlets to town centres only.

“This would deprive the post office network of up to a third of its income, and would put thousands of post offices at risk.

“I will be fighting this move and voting against it in parliament. I don’t want the Tories to put at risk our much loved national institution and leave people in Southampton without a decent postal service.”

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• Southampton Labour finds breathing space for Newtown Youth Centre - 31 January 2013