20 foot Post Box Tours the North West

A 20 foot post box and giant postcard is now visiting towns and cities in the North West from Monday, 18 May 2009, to highlight the government’s plans to sell off part of Royal Mail to a foreign competitor.

Postal workers will be leafleting and petitioning in town centres across the North West to galvanise the ever increasing public support which seeks to convince the PM Gordon Brown to abandon his ill-thought plans to part privatise Royal Mail.

Carl Webb, CWU North West Regional Secretary, said:- “Such a move would, we believe, risk fracturing one of Britain’s greatest public services and put our universal (one price goes anywhere) service under threat. Any investor will only be interested in lining the pockets of their shareholders and not delivering a first class service to the public.  The CWU in the North West are in no doubt that it would also lead to further job losses and reduction in postal services within the region. We should be looking for ways to improve the service not wreck it”.

Royal Mail is one of the most efficient and cheapest postal services in Europe and has just announced that their operating profit has doubled while private mail companies, including TNT, have seen huge profit reductions.

Carl Webb said:- “We hope that our customers the general public will join us in opposing this crazy decision to sell part of Royal Mail to a foreign postal company.   I call on all members of the public to encourage their MP to vote against any form of privatisation. If they refuse, then they should be kicked out at the next General Election.”

Longest serving councillor to be new Lord Mayor of Liverpool

LIVERPOOL’S longest serving councillor is to be sworn in as Lord Mayor.   Councillor Mike Storey CBE, was elected to the city council in 1973 and has served the local authority continually for more than 35 years.  He was leader of the council from 1998 to 2005 and spearheaded the city’s successful drive to become European Capital of Culture 2008.  During his time in charge he also played a major role in delivering big projects which have transformed the city such as Liverpool One, the Arena and Convention Centre and the cruise liner terminal.

Councillor Storey said:- “I was privileged to be Leader of the Council during an exceptional time in the city’s history and I am now hugely honoured to be its next Lord Mayor.  This is without doubt the greatest city in the world, and to become its First Citizen is a tremendously proud moment both personally for me, and for my family.  Anyone who knows me, knows my passion for Liverpool and its people, so I will use my year in office to be an ambassador for the city and spread the word about the amazing renaissance it is enjoying.”

Councillor Storey, 60, is head teacher at Plantation Primary School in Halewood, and wants children and young people to benefit from this year’s Lord Mayor’s charity.  Councillor Storey is married to Carole and they have a 16 year old daughter, Rachel.  He was awarded an OBE in 1992 for services to local government, and a CBE in 2002 for his regeneration work.  He is a member of the boards of Liverpool Vision, The Bluecoat and ACC Liverpool (Arena and Convention Centre).

Email us your views on this choice of Mayor for Liverpool to news24@southportreporter.com.