Rise in postal charges could cause job losses

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PEN, paper, envelope and post – the era of joined-up writing, an art in itself, seems to be forgotten, pushed to one side in favour of electronics.

Well not for me. I use the post up to a dozen times a week and always first class. This is to ensure no delays in delivery, and hopefully next day service. I have received business class post with a seven day plus wait in delivery; this is despite some of those sending out this mail expecting a seven-day reply period.

As a pensioner, I also send lots of birthday cards etc, again all with first class stamps. I believe the advent of first class stamps at a £1 would see a much decreased use of the post, as I could be looking at an outlay of £12-£15 per week, which is something a lot of OAPs could not afford.

It is not only us who would be affected. Has the Royal Mail thought about charities which also have postal expenses? This would affect them as these people send out a ton of post, hoping for returns. Postal cost increases would be quite a deterrent.

I believe for from being a benefit, rising postal charges will produce a reduced income for the Royal Mail and could lead to the loss of jobs in this sector.

Privatisation in my view is not a good thing, as profit does not go back into business, but into pockets of private companies. Prime Minister David Cameron's hype was that the private sector would take up job losses in the public sector, but I don't believe this has happened. There are many people who write for many reasons, but at a £1 a time will see no reason to continue, with this sort of expense. For me the vision of spending £12-£15 per week on letters and cards is certainly a no, no – not on a pension.

Increasing cost of petrol, pasties and post – what else can the government hit us with?

B J CONNELL

Plymouth