SIR — The Countryside Alliance is glad that the government now sees Post Offices as a major policy area. Yet the newly unveiled plans have weaknesses, even in outline.

Post Offices should not be defended by subsidy. They should be made viable by receiving a fair, business rate for the Government services they perform in such an exemplary way.

The plan legally to oblige the Post Office to keep rural branches open unless closure is "unavoidable" does not even make sense.

"Unavoidable closure" is taken to mean that the present postmaster is throwing in the towel and a replacement postmaster cannot be found.

No Post Office is actually threatened with closure at all until that situation is reached, and that is the precise point when the obligation to stop closure will cease to apply.

Before last week's announcement, 83 per cent of rural postmasters believed that the government failed to understand the problems of the countryside, and only four per cent believed that it was doing a good job to protect Post Offices. I do not believe that this will change much.

The Post Office is famous for delivering, the government less so.

Patrick J Ellis,

Foxfield,

Roadwater.