New rural post offices set up in shops, community centres and mobile vans are in danger of closing because of a lack of support from Post Office Limited, Consumer Focus warns today.
In its latest tracking report of outreach post offices, called ‘Sink or Swim?’, the consumer champion says many risk closure unless Post Office Limited takes action to improve the reliability and range of services they offer. Hundreds of the outreach post offices have been set up, often in rural areas where there were not enough people to support a full time branch, since the last closure programme in 2007. Opened in places like village shops, community centres and mobile vans, the outreach post offices provide services on a more ‘part-time’ basis but are essential for their thousands of users.
According to Consumer Focus, customer satisfaction with outreach post offices is good, with two thirds of users saying they were satisfied with the service. However, one in three people not using their local outreach say it is because the opening hours or location is unsuitable. Similarly, a third of those not using their outreach service say they were unaware it existed.1
Consumer Focus says Post Office Limited is taking a ‘one size fits all’ approach to outreach services by failing to listen to their customers and the sub-postmasters who run them. This means outreach post offices are losing customers as they are unable to meet or respond to demand, for example for different opening hours or new services.
Andy Burrows, postal expert at Consumer Focus, said:
“Outreach post offices are providing vital services to many isolated communities. If they shut, it will be much harder for people to access services they rely on, for example to collect their pension. If they are to survive, Post Office Limited must stop treating outreach post offices and their customers like they are a poor relation.
“Outreach post offices need to be allowed to change and meet local demand for new services. With proper support, outreach post offices can thrive to become the heartbeat of the areas they serve.”
The report sets out a series of ways Post Office Limited can help outreaches become more viable so they play an important role in creating a sustainable network of post offices across the country. This includes outreach post offices being covered by the same Post Office Limited requirements that mean regular branches have to give advanced notice of any planned closures or changes to opening hours, and have better contingency plans for technical or operational failures.
ENDS
Notes to editor:
- Consumer Focus is the independent statutory champion for consumers in the UK. Consumer Focus gives a strong voice for consumers on the issues that matter to them and works to secure a fair deal on their behalf. We operate across the whole of the economy, persuading businesses, public services and policy makers to put consumers at the heart of what they do.
- ‘Sink or Swim?: Post Office Outreach Service in the long term’ is the latest in a series of reports tracking the development of post office outreach services. Previous work includes focus groups and a telephone survey of 1,052 consumers living in areas served by outreaches. Also, independent research into outreaches in Northern Ireland and Wales. Consumer Focus has also worked to offer support and advice to MPs and communities on outreach services.
- A full version of the report is available here.
- Consumer Focus operates a Code of Practice on changes to the Post Office network, which sets out Post Office Limited’s responsibilities to communicate with and consult with customers in the event that changes to services are proposed, or a service is temporarily unavailable for any reason. A review of this code is currently underway and we will be looking to bring Outreaches under the umbrella of this code.
Case studies:
Northlew, Devon: Consumers using the outreach service which runs out of Northlew town hall were hit by a 16 week service failure during 2009. This was caused by connectivity problems. As there is no scheduled bus service in the village, and no contingency measures were put in place, elderly consumers were reliant on lifts from friends, family or neighbours to use other branches. The service interruptions have led some customers, including small businesses, to stop using the outreach post office in favour of branches or nearby banks. Other customers have said that the previous ‘on-off’ nature of the service, means they do not use it as often.
Lydeard St Lawrence, Somerset: There are very few amenities in Lydeard St Lawrence but the outreach post office operates on Mondays and Thursdays between 10am and 1pm, in the village hall. A range of social and community functions are offered alongside the post office services. For example, tea, coffee and biscuits, at a cost of 50p, are put on by volunteers while the post office is open. The sub-postmaster also runs a second hand bookshop. Local eggs are sold and the police use the time to offer a surgery for residents on neighbourhood crime. All these activities help draw customers to the post office, and provide opportunities for social interaction that would otherwise be lost.
- DVL Smith (2009) Consumers’ attitudes towards post office Outreach services. Prepared for Consumer Focus.
