This week Parliament began to discuss, in committee, the Postal Services bill which will introduce a totally new structure for the Post Office, so that it can meet the new challenges for commercial services. The House and the Committee is split in its views as to how best this would be achieved.
The Conservative Party continues to promote full privatisation to allow all postal services to be provided by any commercial agent, presumably in the public interest.
The Government and the Liberal Democrats are united in their opposition to such privatisation although we disagree on what alternative structure would be best for the future.
The Government proposes that the Post Office becomes a Public Limited Company (PLC), but that all shares should be owned by the Government. This, I believe, is potentially dangerous as it provides the very structure for any future Government to sell of the shares to the market and crate a privatised Post Office.
Liberal Democrats recommend a Publicity Owned Corporation, which would provide protection against privatisation and allow greater commercial freedom.
This matter is really at the heart of the proposals legislation and will be a constant battle throughout the committee stages.
However, a major concern of many constituents is, of course, the continuation of the national network of post offices and especially the rural sub-post offices, in the face of changes in the system of benefits payments. Whilst the proposed changes in payment of benefits are not part of the Bill (as they are a Social Security measure) the Bill gives the opportunity to put in place structures to offset the loss of income to such Post Offices.
It is essential therefore that this Bill proposes viable new forms of income for our Post Offices and as yet we have not heard what the Government is suggesting, nor have the Conservatives indicated how such Post Offices could survive in a fully privatised state.
It seems to me that what the Country wants is a network of Post Offices, it wants a service that delivers letters throughout the country for the same price of a stamp and it values the extraordinary delivery service provided throughout the whole year.