Rural Community Gateway

The Post Office network is changing. Post Office Ltd have announced that up to 2,500 branches will close in 2008. Some of these will be replaced by outreach services.

Post offices are not being used as much as they used to be, for example, there are four million fewer customer visits each week compared to two years ago. The post office network lost £200 million in 2006/07.

A national consultation has already taken place. For the local consultations, the UK has been split into 50 areas. Over the next 12-18 months consultations will take place in these areas.

Postwatch is the independent watchdog for postal services. They are urging customer to have their say in the local consultations. Millie Banerjee CBE, Chair of Postwatch, said, "Closures are not good news for customers, but the current post office network is unsustainable. The Government has decided change is necessary, with 2,500 closures required. Postwatch agrees it is preferable to have planned rather than unplanned closures.

"It is now vital that the programme’s overall outcome is the best possible for customers. That means customer confusion and inconvenience must be minimised, both in terms of the branches proposed for closure, and in the consultation process being meaningful and accessible to all.

"Postwatch will be active in scrutinising Post Office Ltd’s proposals, ensuring consultations are conducted properly, and raising concerns where appropriate. We urge customers to find out when public consultation will take place in their area, and to get involved."

When are the consultation taking place?

The Greater Glasgow, Central Scotland, Argyll and Bute consultation started on 23rd October 2007 and will close on 3rd December 2007. On the Post Office Ltd website, you can download a booklet which has the proposed plan for that area, including which post offices are planned for closure, which ones are planned to be replaced by outreach services and which ones are to remain open.

The Highland consultation is due to start on 8th January 2008 and the Northern and Western Isles consultation is due to start on 4th March 2008. Proposed plans for these areas are not yet available.

The Rural Gateway will keep you posted with other area consultations closer to the time, however if you want to know when your area consultation is scheduled for you can find out on the Post Office Ltd website.

Branches that are likely to be affected by the proposals in draft plans should also display leaflets about proposals and posters letting customers know about the area consultation.

How do I get involved?

You can download information about the proposed plan for your area from the Post Office Ltd website. You then have the opportunity to provide written feedback, letting the Post Office know your views on their plans.

You can get in touch with the consultation team at the details below:
Address: National Consultation Team, Post Office Ltd, FREEPOST CONSULTATION TEAM (no stamp required)
Telephone: 08457 22 33 44
Email: consultation@postoffice.co.uk

You can find out more about the consultation on the Post Office’s Network Change pages of their website, or on the Postwatch Scotland website.

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