The UK Government has signalled its intention for the post office to become the ‘front office for government’ which could bring a number of significant benefits for consumers in Scotland. However, responsibility for the delivery of many government and other public services in Scotland is devolved to the Scottish Parliament. Therefore it is for service providers in Scotland to decide whether and how the post office network can help to support the delivery of devolved services.
Consumer Focus Scotland undertook a project, to look at the services offered by local authorities in Scotland. It looks at the extent to which these public services are currently delivered through the post office network, and whether and how these should be extended in the future. Our report examines:
- Why it may be beneficial to offer local authority services at post offices.
- Whether consumers can access local government services at post offices at present.
- The potential consumer benefits of providing more local government services.
- The challenges in expanding the range of local government services available through the post office network.
- Outlines our conclusions and makes recommendations to the Scottish Government, Post Office Ltd, COSLA and Local Authorities.
The accompanying research reports commissioned to inform this project can be downloaded in full by clicking on the following links:
Accessing Local Authority Services at the Post Office – TNS Report
POs & Government Services – International Comparisons – Triangle Report