SIR - Philip Bushill-Matthews MEP regularly writes in the letters page that the threat of post office closures and the general wellbeing of the Royal Mail has nothing to do with the EU.
Sadly, he can no longer defend this position as the latest government report on the Royal Mail/Post Office points the finger squarely at the EU directives of 1997 and 2002. This sponsored competition in the delivery of mail and associated services as one of the main contributing factors towards the Royal Mail/Post Office's provision of fewer and more expensive services.
This has affected the ability of the post office network to survive, compounded by the fact that the EU rules on state aid prevent the Government from providing a subsidy to enable those post offices which provide a social but not economic reason to stay open.
Other factors have affected the viability of the postal service in the UK, but the EU is the root cause as even the political party to which Mr Bushill-Matthews professes allegiance accepts. UKIP, as is often the case, has hit the nail on the head in pointing the finger of blame at the EU.
Mark Starr, Leigh Sinton.
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