I was at the sorting office
on Midland Road last Christmas and speaking to local posties, I know they are
the beating heart of so many Derby’s neighbourhoods.
In many areas the local post
office acts as a focal point for communities and there are thousands of
pensioners in Derby who are reassured by seeing their regular postie every
morning. There are also the small businesses that use the Royal Mail for
ensuring customers get their goods and services on time, efficiently, reliably
and at a reasonable price.
Which is why the Tory-led
Government’s plans for privatising Royal Mail are so dangerous. David Cameron’s
plans reveal once again how he stands up for the wrong people. His Government
wants to sell off Royal Mail on the cheap in order to plug a financial hole in
the British economy caused by George Osborne’s failed policies as Chancellor.
We all rely on a daily
delivery service but places where it is expensive or complicated to deliver the
post every day – in rural areas, like much of Derbyshire, or blocks of flats in
urban areas – could be vulnerable. Many of us might also find ourselves
having to travel miles to pick up our large parcels as a privatised Royal Mail
could choose to sell off its assets such as nearby delivery offices. And
local post offices, that rely on the Royal Mail for much of their business,
could be under threat as they look to cut costs.
David Cameron doesn’t need to
do this. The Royal Mail made a £400m profit last year. But while we could
all pay more for the cost of postage, there’s a real risk this extra money will
just line the pockets of private investors and not be invested back into the
service. The taxpayer has already taken on the Royal Mail pension losses
and the Government want the taxpayer to also give away the profit.
I’m writing to the Royal Mail
Minister Michael Fallon MP telling him to save the daily delivery.
Readers can add their names to my letter by emailing me at save-daily-delivery@derbylabourparty.co.uk and
show that the British public don’t support selling off the Royal Mail.
We all take our daily
delivery for granted but for the sake those of us who rely upon it, I hope
local people will back this campaign with the same enthusiasm as they did to
save Bombardier.
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