Response to post office closure threat

A report detailing Manchester City Council’s response to the proposed closure of five of the city’s 63 post office by Post Office Limited will be released today.

The draft report looks at the importance of each of the local post offices which Post Office Limited earmarked for closure in its 10 June announcement and at the people who would be affected by its closure. It considers how difficult it will be for customers to access alternative post offices as well as the capacity of these post offices to absorb additional customers when they already have queues at peak times.

The draft report will be considered by the City Council's Communities and Neighbourhoods Overview and Scrutiny Committeee on 11 July before a final version is sent to Post Office Limited on 21 July. Local councillors will also be able to provide their comments.

A detailed report has already been submitted by the City Council to Post Office Limited in February this year to demonstrate how post offices support our neighbourhood centres. The submission detailed anticipated population increases, planned and proposed development and the predicted impact on communities if further closures take place.

The City Council recognises the vital role played by local post offices. This was quantified by research that it commissioned from nef (the new economics foundation) in 2006 (The Last Post). The report demonstrated the social and economic contribution which urban post offices make. It provided strong evidence that showed the significant knock-on impacts of post office closures for local businesses, service providers (such as schools), community groups, the local economy, and for local people - particularly the most vulnerable. The loss of a post office can trigger a downward cycle in urban areas. The danger is that when amenities like the post office or banking facilities disappear from a community, the financially mobile are more likely to leave, leaving higher concentrations of deprivation, which can in turn lead to further loss of amenities.

Councillor Jim Battle, Deputy Leader of Manchester City Council, said: "We are disappointed by the proposed closures and are continuing to do everything we can to support, develop and improve sustainable post office services in Manchester. Post offices underpin our neighbourhood centres and provide a vital service to our communities, local businesses and local economy"

MEDIA CONTACT:

Roger Williams, Press Office, tel: 0161 234 3275