Saving Post Offices

06.04.06

The closure of a local post office can really hit a community.

First, there’s the elderly and disabled struggling farther each week – if they can. Then there’s the impact on neighbouring shops, longer waiting times at remaining offices and the loss of a hub in a community’s life.

So it’s been so frustrating in recent years to see seven of Kingston’s post offices close, despite strong campaigns to save them.

Yet our experience has been repeated across the country. Over 7,000 branches closed under the present Government and their predecessors. Now there’s talk of 10,000 more going in the next 4 years.

To survive, post offices will need major investment – in technology, in branch modernisation, in training and marketing. The problem is, with schools, health services and police first in the queue for extra cash, what chance post offices?

That’s why I’m keen on the new Liberal Democrat plan to raise £2 billion for post offices by a partial sell-off of Royal Mail shares.

We propose that 51% of Royal Mail shares are divided between the Government and a new Trust for Royal Mail staff – like the John Lewis model - and that the other 49% are sold to raise £2 billion for sub post offices.

<>Royal Mail is thereby able to borrow commercially for the investment it needs to beat new competition, while local post offices get the investment they need to survive. We could even see new post offices opening for the first time in a generation.