The Post Office have announced the first 180 branches inteded to go in their next round of closures, which will total 2,500 in all. 58 branches will go in Kent, 77 in the East Midlands and 45 in the East Yorkshire area. A further 35 will be replaced with “outreach services”: Post Office branches housed in pubs or village shops, or mobile services. The full list of targetted branches can be found on the BBC website.
The government have said that fewer than 16 people a week use the 800 smallest Post Offices, which costs taxpayers £17 per visit. However, there has been anger at some of the closures announced, not only from those who consider tham to be providers of vital local services, but also from those who believe that viable businesses are being targetted for closure. There will now be a six week consultation period before final decisions are made.
Is your local office one of those earmarked for closure? Leave us a comment and let us know what you think.
