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There are 5,000 related jobs at stake, let alone yet another removal of a high street facility.
WHS describes the post offices as ‘a profitable and cash generative part of the group’ coupled with ‘no certainty that agreement will be reached’.
Nevertheless, with no mention of public inconvenience, shares rose significantly.
This has all come about as a direct consequence of the LibConDems Post Office and Royal Mail privatisation under the sure-footed hand of Vince Cable, a dancing minister in the coalition of chaos and public service sell-off in 2013 and 2015 when these services were separated.
No investment in the organisation and by 2017 £800m had been paid to shareholders, one sum exceeding £355m.
By November 2021 another £400m had been donated to shareholders and investors.
At least Cable followed the coalition profit for cronies mantra, with no effective interest or investment in such public services.
His coalition deal behind closed doors with WHS did not benefit the public or loyal hard-working Post Office and Royal Mail staff whatsoever.
Here, an excellent local sub-post office has never been replaced and Winchester’s main Post Office has been a complete disaster from day one.
Staff shortages, increased range and number of counter provisions, self-service machines requiring continual staff oversight, and perpetual long queues have demonstrated WHS’s total lack of interest in delivering a decent public service.
The Labour government has been elected to rapidly improve the delivery of public services, investing in change for their widespread development and improvement.
It is quite possible that the Post Office and Royal Mail will return to public ownership and investment soon.
Peter Rees
Winchester Labour Party,
Monarch Way,
Winchester
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