The post office network is at crunch point - investment is needed now to ensure survival

The post office network is at crunch point - investment is needed now to ensure survival [ 430 kb]

The government should invest in post offices at the upcoming spending review to fix the cracks in the network and allow them to deliver greater social value. 

In the upcoming spending review, the government faces a choice: allow post offices to thrive or lead them into a managed decline. 

Removing or reducing the post office subsidy would have a devastating impact on local communities and small businesses at a time when they’re trying to recover from the economic shock of coronavirus. At a very minimum, the government should commit to maintaining the current level of subsidy it provides to post offices.  

Given that temporary closures are increasing, outreaches aren’t meeting consumers’ needs, and the severe impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the government should not only maintain the subsidy it provides, but increase it. This would allow Post Office Limited to fix the widening cracks in the network and deliver meaningful social value to local communities.