Post offices are needed in Shropshire

Letter: I read in the Shropshire Star, April 1, about the shutting down of post offices in Shropshire and MPs saying they are trying to save them. The PM Gordon Brown says his Government is not in charge of the Post Office.

I thought he ran the Government, but it seems to be that Allen Leighton is more powerful than Gordon Brown, these are words from his own lips.

They say post offices are making a loss. One reason is because everybody sells postage stamps and the right to sell the TV licence has been taken away from them.

Post offices in Shropshire are to close down, which county will be next?

Gordon Brown talks about eight mobile post offices. There is tax, insurance, tyres, servicing, fuel and breakdowns. What if one mobile post office gets a flat?

We must also look at the weather. The mobile post office at village A is on time at 9am, rain is pelting down, a cold wind raging, an OAP looks out of her window - she can't go out in this weather, she wants to top up her gas and electric cards.

At noon the mobile post office moves away.

Next day the sun comes back out and the wind has gone, also gone is the local post office where she could have topped up her cards.

Day three is a cold day, for tea she has a tin of stew, she needs something warm inside her. She will take a rest in her armchair. As she sleeps, off goes the electric fire and in comes the cold with fatal consequences.

Shropshire is big Mr Brown, hands off our post offices or lose our votes at the next general election.

D Edmund-Fitzgerald

Newport