THE front page on April 20 headlined the intended closure of the post office in Southampton High Street. This has happened because under European Union law our politicians in Westminster have limited powers. Westminster needs permission from the EU Commission in Brussels to subsidise the Post Office, and anything else over here Article 88 of the Treaty of Amsterdam 1997.
In 2003 the EU compet-ition commissioner allowed Westminster to give a subsidy of £3m a week to the Post Office until 2006. In April 2006 the commissioner allowed the subsidy to continue until March 2008, but only if Westminster closed 3,000 post offices branches, one of which is in the High Street.
RALPH PROTHERO, Southampton.
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