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Commons to keep all three of its post offices
By Jason Beattie, London Lite Last updated at 11:45am on 20.02.08All three post offices in the Houses of Parliament are to escape the mass cull of London branches.
The Royal Mail provoked outrage by announcing plans to axe 169 post offices in the capital. But it has decided to exempt the offices in the Commons, despite them being a few hundred metres apart.
MPs claim the decision makes a mockery of Royal Mail criteria which says branches can be axed as long as there is another within a mile. Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said: "This is breathtaking hypocrisy. While 'closed' signs are going up in post offices across our capital city, all three within the Parliamentary Estate remain open."
The Royal Mail plans to shut a fifth of the London network by summer. Some sub-postmasters say the Royal Mail has claimed they are doing less work than is actually the case to justify the closures.
"They are making some branches look less busy than they are. Either they are rigging it or they are just sloppy," said Labour MP Andrew Slaughter, who is facing seven closures in his Ealing, Acton and Shepherd's Bush constituency.
A Royal Mail spokesman said the Parliament branches were crown post offices and part of the directly managed national network.
• Westminster council today said it was holding talks with the Post Office about opening branches in some of its libraries and leisure centres.
Reader views (7)
The thought of an MP actually queuing at a post office is ludicrous. What do they pay all their relatives to do?
- Lc, London
OK so we all go to the Post Offices in Westminster, after all they are a public service and are supposed to be open to the public!
Wonder what MPs would do with the hordes of people waiting.
- Tony, London
More snouts in the trough! Pull up the ladder Jack- we're OK!
- Rex, Oakham Rutland
It's not as if MPs pay for their own postage.
- Paul, London
And of course our harassed MPs have a handsome postal expense account so they never need to pay the cost of their mail, which unsurprisingly runs into thousands of pounds.
- C Adams, audierne france
As usual, one rule for MPs, another for the rest of us.
- Nobby Clark, Perth, the Scottish one
One rule for us, another for them -anyone surprised?
- Sarah, london
