A Hastings woman is set to challenge a Government decision to exempt the Royal Mail from laws requiring public bodies to promote equality for the disabled.
Judy Brown, who is disabled, is seeking permission for a judicial review of plans to axe her nearest post office branch in Hastings, East Sussex, claiming they discriminate against her.
Her husband, Jonathan Coe, has described as an "outrage" a de
cision to remove the Royal Mail from the list of tens of thousands of public bodies subject to the rules.
Business Secretary John Hutton - now overseeing the highly-controversial closure programme of 2,500 post offices - exempted Royal Mail from the Disability Equality Duty (DED) in 2006.
Around 45,000 public bodies are covered by the DED which is meant to ensure they pay "due regard" to the promotion of equality for disabled people in every area of operation.
A spokesman for the Department for Work and Pensions said: "The Royal Mail group is still legally required to ensure that all its services are accessible to all disabled people and that it does not discriminate against disabled people in any aspects of its work, in line with the Disability Discrimination Act.
"There is nothing whatsoever in this case that reduces those obligations.
"This particular case rests on specific technical legal arguments about whether certain aspects of the Disability Equality Duty - a legal duty to actively promote equality of opportunity for disabled people - apply to the Royal Mail Group."
Mrs Brown's initial application to the High Court was turned down by a judge "on paper", but is being renewed in an oral hearing before Mr Justice Davis.
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