No second chance for postal service

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While I, too, agree with the headline of Derek Clark’s letter “Europe to blame for privatisation” published on August 1, I cannot agree with his assertion that the coalition Government has “abandoned” Royal Mail.

This could not be further from the truth.

The fact of the matter is Royal Mail and the Post Office businesses have been interfered and tampered with long before the 1997 EU Postal Services Directive came in.

However, if the Government of the day back in 1997 and MEPs of all political persuasions had chosen to stand up and fight our corner we would still have a service to be proud of.

Instead they allowed the EU Directive on Postal Services to be implemented, resulting in the situation we see today.

The Royal Mail “competition” was never going to be in a position to deliver post to every address in the UK, to go up every track to every outlying property, and so we have an appalling situation whereby these companies not only undercut Royal Mail postage rates to gain business, but then have to rely on them to deliver their post that final mile.

Without doubt there will be more change and the day will eventually come when rural locations in particular will only be serviced by dropping-off points.

The few remaining Post Offices and village shops will become local postal centres where the public will have no choice other than to collect their mail from there.

I appreciate the advent of the internet and how easy it is to send emails but there are still large swathes of the countryside which have major problems with internet access and many millions of people who are not and are unlikely to become internet savvy.

As for Mr Clark wishing the Royal Mail to be returned to its former state, I can tell him that will never happen.

David Hankey

Great Easton