Post Offices

Post Office Network Change Programme.
In May 2007, the post office network change programme was announced, involving closure of 2,500 post offices in Britain, with the view to making a more sustainable network.

The Post Office Ltd is currently engaged in a process of assessment and consultation to determine exactly which post offices will close. Great Britain has been divided into 39 areas with a timetable that means some areas will be assessed, consulted and final decisions made before others have even started the process. Prior to any announcements, Post Office Ltd will engage with stakeholders, including local authorities to research access information.

Post Office Ltd will produce Area Plan Proposals for each area to give a ‘best fit plan’ for providing the post office service and will list the post offices proposed for closure. Once published, there will be a public consultation period of six weeks so that views of local people can be heard. The final decision detailing the closures will then be announced.

Post Office Ltd has stated that once the Network Change Programme is complete, 99% of the population will be within 3 miles of their nearest post office and 90% will be within 1 mile.

The public consultation period ended on Monday 17th March 2008 for the Post Office Network Change Programme in Gloucestershire. What happens next?
On Tuesday 5th February 2008 it was announced as part of the national Network Change Programme that 26 post offices in Gloucestershire are proposed for closure. A further 13 post offices are proposed to close, to be replaced with outreach services. Since the date of announcement there has been six weeks of public consultation which ended on Monday 17th March 2008.

The period of consultation was an opportunity for communities and individuals to have their say on the proposed closures. Following many public events, responses have been formulated and sent to Post Office Ltd detailing reasons why post offices in the Area Plan Proposal should not close or have a reduction in service hours. It is understood that these responses will now be evaluated by Post Office Ltd and the consumer watchdog Postwatch, before a finalised closure programme is publicised for Gloucestershire in an Area Plan Decision Booklet.

The Area Plan Decision Booklet for Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire is due to be made public in early May 2008, and links to the document will be available on the GRCC website. This document will detail the final list of actual closures in Gloucestershire, as well as a summary of points raised from each consultation. Please use this link to read Area Plan Decision Booklets that have already been produced for other areas in Britain.

If you have any further questions, please contact Christopher Cowcher on christopherc@grcc.org.uk or ring 01452 528491.

GRCC web forum
To discuss the post office network change programme with other parish councils in the county or to publicly voice any concerns, join the GRCC web forum