Consumers less likely to use post offices after network changes

Research conducted by Scotland’s consumer champion into the closure of eight post offices across Argyll and Bute has found that local consumers believe that services are poorer as a result of the changes.

The closures took place last year as part of the Post Office Ltd’s Network Change Programme (NCP). Argyll and Bute was one of the first areas of Scotland to be affected by the programme, which ran from 2007 to 2009.

The research report, The Network Change Programme in Argyll and Bute: A Case Study, commissioned by Consumer Focus Scotland early in 2009, involved five focus groups with consumers at selected locations where post office closures had taken place. It also included interviews with sub-postmasters at post offices expecting greater footfall as a result of the closures.

Focus group participants reported that they now use post offices less frequently and many use fewer post office services and products than they did previously. They also described lengthy queues at the post offices they now use and some reported no longer travelling to any post offices because the nearest branch is inaccessible to them.

The research also examined the awareness and effectiveness of the Post Office Ltd’s public consultation process on the closures. It found that while consumers were generally aware of the consultation and some did contribute their views, they also expressed concern about the effectiveness and transparency of the process. Some claimed that the time frame was too short to submit a detailed response or for communities to fully comprehend what the details of the proposals meant for local communities.

There was also a concern that if they objected to the closure of a particular post office then another one would be closed instead, and that this might be even more detrimental that what had initially been proposed. Consumers also believed there was a lack of clarity about why particular post offices had been earmarked for closure and it was felt that the process for responding did not encourage consumer participation.

The report makes a series of recommendations to Post Office Ltd on the action that should be undertaken to improve the delivery of post office services for consumers who been adversely affected by the programme. While the research focused on Argyll and Bute, the recommendations should be applied for the benefit of consumers across Scotland.

Trisha McAuley, Interim Director, Consumer Focus Scotland, said: “Local post offices are lifelines for thousands of people in communities across Scotland. The negative impact of the Network Change Programme on service users in Argyll and Bute revealed by this report is of great concern, particularly if it reflects the experience of consumers in other parts of Scotland.”

 “We want the Post Office Ltd to act on our recommendations in order to ensure that the concerns of post office users are addressed, but also to help inform future changes in the post office network.”

“Consumers must have confidence that they will be fully and genuinely consulted on proposed closures and that change does not have to equal a poorer local post office service. This is particularly important now as the UK Government consults on expanding the financial services available through post offices.”

Ends

Notes to Editors

1. The Post Office Ltd’s Network Change Programme (NCP) was initiated in 2007 after the UK Government announced a major programme to restructure and modernise the post office network.
2. 269 post offices had been closed across Scotland as part of the NCP by September 2009. This Consumer Focus Scotland research was commissioned to build on work done by Postwatch Scotland, one of its predecessor organisations, and in recognition of the significant impact that the NCP was likely to have on post office customers across Scotland.
3. Consumer Focus will soon publish a wider piece of research examining the impact the Network Change Programme has had across the UK.
4. The House of Commons Public Accounts Committee last month published a report, Oversight of the Post Office Network Change Programme, which identified similar concerns about local consultation processes in relation to post office closures. It can be downloaded at www.publications.parliament.uk/pa/cm200809/cmselect/cmpubacc/832/832.pdf
5. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills last week launched a public consultation on new financial products and services that could be offered by the Post Office. It can be downloaded at www.bis.gov.uk/postofficebanking
6. Consumer Focus Scotland is rooted in over 30 years of work promoting the interests of consumers, particularly those who experience disadvantage in society. We work for consumers in aspects of their lives: as council tenants, householders, patients, parents, solicitors’ clients, public transport users, bank depositors and borrowers, postal service users and as shoppers.

Media Contact

For more information about this report or to arrange an interview, please contact Ryan Norton, Communications Manager on 0141 227 1852.