Press Release

Post office ltd must fulfil its commitments

Friday, July 25 2008

Reacting to a report from the Business and Enterprise Select Committee on the provision of outreach services provided by the post office, Dr Alan Burnett, Senior Policy Officer for Help the Aged, says, "In 2007, the Post Office embarked on a program to close 20 per cent of the network. A key compensation for communities likely to be hit most hard by the loss of their post office was the assurance that an outreach service would act as a replacement.

"As an alternative, this was welcomed by Help the Aged, as one third of older people over the age of 60 have a mobility problem and would find the closure of their local post office particularly difficult.

"It is extremely worrying to hear that outreach services are underfunded and are at risk of failure just months after their introduction. Extensive trials and cost analysis should have prevented this. A cynical mind could even be led to believe that outreach services were being set up simply to ease unpopular closures that are damaging local communities.

"Recent Help the Aged research shows just how many people are being affected by these closures - 3.6 million people in older age groups alone have seen their nearest post office close. It is vital that the Post Office is held to the commitments it has already made."