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| Version 1 | Version 2 |
|---|---|
| At-risk Post Office outlets named | At-risk Post Office outlets named |
| (about 4 hours later) | |
| The Post Office has announced the first 180 branches earmarked for closure under its plan to shut 2,500 by the end of next year. | |
| A total of 58 branches have been named in Kent, 45 in East Yorkshire and 77 in the East Midlands. | |
| Six-week public consultations will be held in all affected areas before the final decisions are made. | |
| The government says cuts are needed as the current 14,000-strong network has been losing £4m a week. | The government says cuts are needed as the current 14,000-strong network has been losing £4m a week. |
| Consumer watchdog Postwatch said closures were bad news but it accepted the current network was unsustainable. | Consumer watchdog Postwatch said closures were bad news but it accepted the current network was unsustainable. |
| New products | New products |
| The government said four million fewer people were using post offices each week than two years ago and losses had risen from £2 million a week in 2005 to £4 million a week last year. | The government said four million fewer people were using post offices each week than two years ago and losses had risen from £2 million a week in 2005 to £4 million a week last year. |
| POST OFFICE CLOSURES Kent list [17KB] Most computers will open this document automatically, but you may need Adobe Reader Download the reader here | |
| It also pointed out that, on average, fewer than 16 people a week used the 800 smallest rural post offices, at a cost of £17 per visit to the taxpayer. | It also pointed out that, on average, fewer than 16 people a week used the 800 smallest rural post offices, at a cost of £17 per visit to the taxpayer. |
| The government decided in December that 2,500 closures were required because of the Post Office's losses. | The government decided in December that 2,500 closures were required because of the Post Office's losses. |
| It said at the time that it wanted to help the Post Office modernise, restore profitability in its main offices, invest in new products and look at innovative ways to deliver services. | It said at the time that it wanted to help the Post Office modernise, restore profitability in its main offices, invest in new products and look at innovative ways to deliver services. |
| On Tuesday, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said it would provide funding of "up to £1.7bn until 2011 to continue to support the network" and to enable the Post Office "to modernise and rationalise". | On Tuesday, the Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform said it would provide funding of "up to £1.7bn until 2011 to continue to support the network" and to enable the Post Office "to modernise and rationalise". |
| Access criteria | Access criteria |
| Post Office managing director Alan Cook said taking the decision to close any branch was always "very difficult". | Post Office managing director Alan Cook said taking the decision to close any branch was always "very difficult". |
| It is now vital that the programme's overall outcome is the best possible for customers Postwatch | It is now vital that the programme's overall outcome is the best possible for customers Postwatch |
| "Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the very strict minimum access criteria set by the government." | "Post Office Ltd's aim is to continue to provide essential services and support retail businesses and the local economy in as many communities as possible, subject to the very strict minimum access criteria set by the government." |
| Postwatch chairwoman Millie Banerjee said it agreed it was better to plan ahead for closures. | Postwatch chairwoman Millie Banerjee said it agreed it was better to plan ahead for closures. |
| "It is now vital that the programme's overall outcome is the best possible for customers," she added. | "It is now vital that the programme's overall outcome is the best possible for customers," she added. |
| "That means customer confusion and inconvenience must be minimised, both in terms of the branches proposed for closure and in the consultation process being meaningful and accessible to all." | "That means customer confusion and inconvenience must be minimised, both in terms of the branches proposed for closure and in the consultation process being meaningful and accessible to all." |
| 'Creative solutions' | |
| Dr Stuart Burgess, chairman of the Commission for Rural Communities, urged people to use the consultation period to make their views known about the planned closures. | |
| He said: "Wherever there are possibilities, as part of the consultation process, to consider alternative ways of providing service, I am confident rural communities will make the most of the opportunity to come forward with practical and creative solutions." | |
| But Gordon Lishman, director general of Age Concern, claimed the short six-week consultation period indicated "decisions may have already been made". | |
| "We know that the vast majority of older people consider their post office to be a lifeline, with many relying on the post office as a one-stop shop to access cash and benefits, pay bills, get advice and information, and socialise," he said. | |
| "This lifeline must not be severed." | |
| The Post Office said "outreach services", such as mobile offices or services operated by shops or pub landlords during certain hours, would be established in 11 communities in the East Midlands and 24 in East Yorkshire. | |
| Is your local Post Office facing closure? How will this affect you? Send us your comments using the form below: | Is your local Post Office facing closure? How will this affect you? Send us your comments using the form below: |