New £2m initiative to keep post offices open
POST Office branches in Wales are benefiting from a national pounds 2m Government fund aimed at keeping the rural network alive.
Post Office Ltd, a subsidiary of Consignia, has appointed 28 managers – four in Wales – to focus on finding solutions when rural Post Office branches are threatened with closure.
Offices in North Wales which have benefited from both financial and Post Office Ltd advice and support, include Ysceifiog, which has re-opened in a local pub and Treuddyn Post Office, which moved from its temporary home in the community centre, to a Londis store in the village.
Tony Jones, Rural Network Manager for Wales, said: “The rural transfer advisers move in when a subpostmaster decides to retire or move away. It is their job to talk to the local community, to the movers and shakers, to try and find someone to take over the Post Office business.
“This could be an individual willing to re-fit their home, an existing retail outlet taking on the Post Office services or, in some cases, a local community working together to provide facilities in a village hall, the local pub or even a petrol station.”
Mr Jones said: “As a business we are working hard to maintain rural Post Office branches and we welcome local initiatives like Mentor Mn, who are involving Post Office branches in its efforts to keep rural life alive and thriving in Anglesey.”
By April 2003, the Government wants all benefits payments to be made through bank accounts and an average Post Office branch could lose 41pc of its yearly turnover, which equates to pounds 400m a year for the UK network.
“We need to be able to offer customers other services to encourage them to come through the door and keep rural Post Office branches open,” said Mr Jones.
“That is why the work of the rural transfer advisers is proving so vital for the future of the rural network.”
Copyright: The Liverpool Daily Post & Echo Ltd
