Watchdog urges local input into Post Office Ltd network changes
UK consumer watchdog Consumer Focus has said Post Office Ltd’s plan to turn 2,000 rural post offices into slimmed-down “locals” could work if changes are planned properly. The agency issued research on Wednesday looking into post office closures in the county of Devon, and the response of the County Council in working to maintain local postal services.
The county saw 12% of its post offices closed outright in 2007, with a further 10% replaced by a Partner Outreach programme.
Consumer Focus said its research gathered information from local people, businesses and subpostmasters to assess the impact of the closures, which showed that a local authority could put in place measures to mitigate the impact of consumers losing post offices.
The watchdog said a transformation of the Post Office Ltd network from 2012, in which 4,000 post offices are to become “Main” branches, with 2,000 turned into “Local” branches, had to take account of the views of local people.
It said it would be important that Post Office Limited does not have a “one size fits all” approach to changes to the network.
Andy Burrows, postal services expert at Consumer Focus, said: “The Post Office network is due to undergo a radical transformation in the next few years. Although this programme won’t involve any closures, consumers will inevitably be at the sharp end of any changes to their local post office service.
“Now is the time to look ahead and agree what can be done to ensure this programme of change is implemented as smoothly as possible for consumers. The starting point must be a planned approach which gives local people and authorities the chance to anticipate and tackle problems that may arise,” he said.
Locals and Mains
A trial of Post Office Locals is currently under way – PO Locals are typically counters located in existing retail premises such as convenience stores, petrol stations or pharmacies, where post office services are provided as a secondary offer.
By 2015, a further 4,000 branches will convert to Post Office Mains, a new operating model for High Street branches. These are expected to be the largest and busiest branches in the network. Main POs are expected to offer a number of benefits for consumers, for example queue-reduction measures and in some cases extended opening hours, but it is likely some branches will shift location when they convert to Main POs.
In its study, Consumer Focus highlighted the 16 villages in Devon that received support from Devon County Council. The county’s Partner Outreach programme involved a local business person providing post office services from their business premises, such as a local or village shop.
Burrows said: “Devon County Council’s response to the closure programme kept a post office service alive in many areas. The Council provided funds and co-ordinated advice from other organisations to protect post offices and give community shops the best chance of thriving. It was particularly successful at getting the local community involved to ensure the long-term future of these outlets.
“The single most important lesson is that the better the impacts on local communities are understood, and the more clearly local people’s voices are heard, the more successful the outcome will be. That will be as important for a conversion, as it was for a closure programme,” added the Consumer Focus postal expert.
