Postcomm recommends closure of rural UK Post Offices

More than 1,600 rural post offices could face closure under recommendations from the Post Office regulator. They are set out in a review by the Postal Services Commission, Postcomm, of the £150 million-a-year subsidy that sustains the rural network of post offices. The review is now being considered by the Government. The report by the independent regulator into the long term future of the post offices has been with the government since July last year, but the DTI says there are no immediate plans to publish it. A spokesman said: “The government is committed to the future of the rural network and has put in place funding of £150 million a year to sustain the rural network of post offices until at least April 2006.” The subsidy, known as the social network payment, was introduced by the government in December 2002 following earlier recommendations made by Postcomm. A spokesman from Postcomm said the review of the long term future of the post offices was “substantial” but declined to offer further comment.