MR Derek Brooks appears to have some kind of problem with Cllr Sandra Walmsley accurately representing the view held by many of her constituents, that the operation of a true public service is incompatible with the values of free enterprise, and he has also resorted to quite childish name-calling in the process.

The reality of competition between private businesses, Derek, is that they can shop around and look for the profitable areas of a venture, whilst abandoning any part of a service that does not turn a profit, regardless of how many people depend on that service.

Equal access to communication is vital for democracy, and even in the days of email, we still require a postal service.

A privatised postal service will result in Granny Dryden (in Postman Pat) being told, “We're sorry that we won’t be delivering or collecting your postal vote for you, madam, but you live out in the sticks and it simply isn’t worth it for us!”, whether we like it or not!

For clear examples of why a private postal system is a bad idea, please consider the vast profits made by the privatised energy companies, which supply the power we all depend on for heating and lighting our homes at an exorbitant price, or the privatised rail companies which continuously put up the price of a train ticket, regardless of whether or not that train turns up on time (or, indeed, at all).

The financial problems this country faces are not a result of spending on public services, they are down to us having to clean up a huge mess caused by unregulated free enterprise of the very worst kind. Anyone who refuses to see that, whether it be Derek Brooks or David Nuttall MP, is blinded by ideology of a different kind.

Richard Martin Chesham