Much more on the post office

Each year, Post Office Ltd presents a report to Parliament on the service it provides. This provides useful information – the full report can be read by clicking on the PDF below the photo.

What the Post Office told Parliament also offers hope that their statement to the BBC – reported on Wednesday and yesterday on AudlemOnline – means exactly what it said, that the absence of a post office service in Audlem really is temporary.

The report at the end of 2015 says:

"Maintaining the size and accessibility of the network is a key policy aim of Post Office Limited and at the end of March 2015 there were 11,634 branches. Based in local communities, the Post Office has a unique reach across all areas of society – for example 93% of people in the UK live within a mile of a Post Office branch, 99.7% within three miles and 99.7% of those living in deprived urban communities live within a mile of a Post Office branch.

"The network is made up of Post Office branches that operate under different contract types. At the end of March 2015, there were 326 Crown Post Office branches that are run by Post Office Limited employees.

"The remainder of the network is made up of 11,308 branches that are run on an agency contract basis.
Amongst the Post Office branches operated on an agency contract basis there are different Post Office branch models. These range from outreach and satellites (typically small part-time branches using a village hall or a mobile van which enable services to continue to be provided to communities which would not otherwise receive them), through to Post Office branches run by independent subpostmasters, using a variety of contractual forms, and larger franchise branches (for example those operated by the Co-Op or WH Smith).

"Over 50% of Post Office branches are in rural locations with the balance between urban, rural and urban deprived Post Office branches within the network, remaining stable.

"In individual cases where a Post Office branch has not been able to continue to trade within the last year, these have typically been for circumstances beyond the control of the Post Office, for example a postmaster retiring and no-one coming forward to take over the business, or no suitable premises being available. In these cases, the Post Office works to try and re-establish the service in the community in liaison with local stakeholders."

Later in the report it confirms that under the Government's post office access compliance rules, 95% of the total rural population across the UK must be within three miles of their nearest Post Office outlet.

The Post Office Ltd's website says, under the heading 'Modernising the Post Office':

"Around 8,000 branches will transform to one of these modern, easily accessible Post Office branches with longer hours designed to make it easier for customers to do business with us and helping to create a Post Office of the future which is financially sustainable in its own right.  This is not a closure programme and we are committed to maintaining our current network at around 11,500."

It would appear that if the Audlem Post Office is not saved, we will be amongst the just 0.3% of the population not within 3 miles of a post office. Doubtless it is an even smaller number not within 5 miles (there is a post office in Woore) or within 7 miles of a post office that can be reached by public transport (in Nantwich).

Hopefully, as many organisations and individuals as possible will write letters to Post Office Limited stressing their statement to the BBC that the Audlem closure is temporary and stressing the importance of maintaining a service in Audlem.

The Registered Office and person to write to is:

Paula Vennells
Chief Executive
Post Office Limited
20 Finsbury Street,
London
EC2Y 9AQ

As always, it's best to address your letter to the Chief Executive of an organisation, in this case Paula Vennells.

Don't forget to use a postage stamp which can be bought at Williams' newsagents and the Co-operative Foodstore.

This article is from our news archive. As a result pictures or videos originally associated with it may have been removed and some of the content may no longer be accurate or relevant.