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Post offices in Parliament to escape Royal Mail axe
Jason Beattie, Chief Political Correspondent20.02.08
All three post offices in the Houses of Parliament are to escape the mass cull of London branches, the Standard can reveal.
The Royal Mail has provoked outrage after announcing plans to axe 169 post offices in the City.
But it has decided to exempt the offices in the Commons despite them being separated by only a few 100 metres.
MPs today accused the Royal Mail of "hypocrisy". They claim the decision to keep Parliament's branches open makes of mockery of the criteria being used by the Royal Mail which says branches can be axed as long as there is another one within a mile.
Liberal Democrat MP Tom Brake said the Royal Mail should look again at its plans.
He said: "What is good for the goose should be good for the gander. I cannot fathom why, when MPs have three post offices within 100 metres of each other, and some people have none within a kilometre of them, the latter were shut.
He added: "It seems as though Members' Priority Service has won the day again."
A fifth of the London network will be axed by this summer.
A spokesman for the Royal Mail said the branches in Parliament were crown post offices and were part of the directly-managed national network.
Reader views (3)
It is important that our MPs who will decide on many issues relating to the ordinary lives of the citizens of this country live a life fixed in reality. To have the special privileges, like a Post Office at their place of work or not having to account for items of expenses of £250 or under, puts them apart from the normal world where us mere mortals live.
- Rosemary, Sutton
Neil's comment would be more valid if the report had not included original this text:
"MPs today accused the Royal Mail of "hypocrisy". They claim the decision to keep Parliament's branches open makes of mockery of the criteria being used by the Royal Mail which says branches can be axed as long as there is another one within a mile."
- Ian In Norfolk, Norwich, Norfolk
Does this surprise us? No, not at all. We wouldn't expect our greedy, corrupt politicians to have to go without a Post Office. Perhaps that is where they claim their extravagant and, often dishonest expenses. Why can't these so-called Crown Post Offices be amalgamated into the nearest ailing W. H. Smith branch? They are doing that with our Crown Post Office. The walk might do some of the greedy, overweight and corrupt politicians good.
- Neil, Gloucestershire, England.
