Post offices matter to communities

Here’s what we found out they want

Have you noticed any changes at the Post Office?

You may have noticed changes to your local post office in recent years. In fact, between 2010 and 2018 as many as 8,000 post offices will be modernised or moved into new premises such as convenience stores, newsagents and pharmacies. Citizens Advice research shows that over 40 million people will have had their local branch changed during this period.

This process, known as the Network Transformation Programme (NTP), has been designed to reduce costs and extend opening hours. Around 17 million people visit one of the UK’s 11,600 post offices each week. The Post Office, like other services such as banks and libraries, is having to rethink how it provides access to local communities to ensure that the service is sustainable. This new approach means that many branches are being moved from dedicated premises to other local retailers.

Getting these changes right is important to avoid reducing consumer access to key post office services. Post offices provide vital services: our research shows that the vast majority of consumers (97%) and small businesses (93%) regularly use post offices. And the services they provide are particularly important to vulnerable groups of consumers such as pensioners, disabled people and those living in rural areas.

How does the public consultation work?

Before moving a branch, Post Office Ltd (POL) notifies local communities through a formal 6 week consultation process. It has a Code of Practice that explains how the process works. For example, POL must publish proposals in branch and seek feedback from the local community, which includes local representatives (such as councillors and the local Citizens Advice). It must also publish a final decision document, explaining how it has taken feedback into account and what it has decided to do.

As the official consumer watchdog for post, Citizens Advice is involved in the consultation process: we have an expert team who both review the public responses and use our own evidence and analysis of the local area to review the proposals. We make further recommendations to POL to help improve access for vulnerable consumers. If we feel that there are significant outstanding concerns, we can escalate cases to senior staff at Post Office Limited, but we always seek a practical resolution first. After this, POL publishes a final decision document which answers questions raised in the consultation processes and outlines any changes that have been made in response.

We have recently reviewed over 1,800 cases from the past 5 years where a post office has been moved to a new location. Our analysis shows that the public response has been huge: over 37,000 individuals have responded and petitions with 33,000 signatures have also been submitted. This shows how strongly people feel about access to post offices. And formal responses may just be the tip of the iceberg. When surveyed, 90% of the general public want the local community to be consulted on post office changes.

What impact does consultation have?

For the first time, we have reviewed the outcomes of these off site consultations.

Our research shows that last year POL provided reassurances or agreed improvements after 9 in 10 consultations. What’s more, the process has become increasingly effective over time, with an increase in these outcomes 2012/13.

Improvements are agreed or reassurances are provided in most cases following public consultation and Citizens Advice engagement

Over the last 5 years, POL has provided reassurances or agreed further improvements in 3 in 4 (76%) cases following public consultation. POL has withdrawn 2% of cases due to the significant issues raised following public consultations.

Here are 3 examples of the type of improvements made or reassurances provided through the consultation process

Ensuring people can access the right services

The majority of post offices have moved into retail stores such as a Tesco, WH Smith or local convenience store (these post offices are known as Locals). This leads to a significant increase in opening hours but also a small reduction in the products available. There was a risk that people had to travel long distances to access certain manual banking products — such as one case we saw where consumers faced a 28 mile round trip if their nearest branches are all Locals.

To address this, Citizens Advice worked with POL to develop a ‘Local Plus’ branch with additional services for areas where there is no large post office within 5 miles. As the graph below shows, the proportion of new Local Plus models being proposed by POL at consultation has increased significantly in the last 2 years. We’ve also been able to agree for more branches to be upgraded to Local Plus following consumer feedback and reviewing other local factors such as access to alternative post offices by public transport. Last year, 8% of cases were converted to Local Plus, with the Postmaster’s agreement, to ensure that access to a wider range of products and services is retained and to limit the inconvenience to consumers.

More Local Plus branches are being confirmed following public consultation

Case study: Llandysul, Ceredigion, Wales — access to the new premises

The current branch is in the centre of the town. The proposed new premises are in a convenience store, 500m further away and down a very steep hill, with a limited bus service, making it difficult for older or disabled customers to access essential services. The public consultation received a total of 27 responses, including 1 MP and 2 local representatives. Having reviewed all the consultation feedback, we liaised with the local Citizens Advice office, the local Ceredigion voluntary association (CAVO) who spoke with local residents to understand their concerns. We recommended that Post Office Ltd should work with all the relevant local parties to provide a new community transport scheme that is free to use and available for all local residents, who do not have access to alternative transport, to access the new branch.

Next steps — Reviewing the current Code of Practice

We are starting to review the current Code of Practice with POL. It is important that this process reflects the needs of customers, as well as the need to avoid any break in service.

If you would like further assistance or guidance about a local post office change, or just want to share your experience of the consultation process, you can contact us at postofficechanges@citizensadvice.org.uk