Rural Postal Services: Sustainability Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Business and Trade
Alistair Carmichael
Main Page: Alistair Carmichael (Liberal Democrat - Orkney and Shetland)Department Debates - View all Alistair Carmichael's debates with the Department for Business and Trade
Rural Postal Services: Sustainability
Alistair Carmichael Excerpts(6 months, 2 weeks ago)
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Jamie Stone
Yes, indeed. I completely agree with that. I hope that some constructive thinking will now be forthcoming. As I have said already, this is part of our social fabric.
Earlier, I touched on loss of income for shops. The post office at Bettyhill will lose almost £7,500 a year. As I have said, that could mean not only further post office closures but shop closures. Pillars of rural communities will be demolished by cost-cutting tactics: we see all too much of that in the highlands, with that weary drumbeat of closures and cutting back.
Mr Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland) (LD)
This comes on top of a situation that most sub-postmasters and sub-postmistresses already face, where the individual transaction costs that they are paid for are actually more than the money they are given from the Post Office. Does that not make the bleak scenario that my hon. Friend outlines look rather inevitable?
Jamie Stone
My right hon. Friend represents the furthest constituency—even further away than mine—so he indeed knows what he is talking about.
Money is lost. There are, however, other ways to ensure the sustainability of rural post offices. We have heard how we can do this from the numerous interventions, for which I thank all hon. and right hon. Members.