| |
Post Office Ltd commenced public consultation in October 2007 on its
proposals to close about 2500 branches by 2009. Consultation took place
on an area-by-area basis, related to Parliamentary Constituencies. As
each phase of consultation commenced, maps and lists of branches to be
retained and those proposed for closure or replacement by "Outreach"
facilities. These might be a Mobile PO, "Hosted Service" provided for
limited hours in a village or church hall by a nearby PO, or limited
"Partner" services provided in a shop. Once decisions had been made, a
list of those branches to be closed was added. If any branches were
reprieved, consultation commenced on the closure of additional
branches, to achieve the original target numbers! The programme is now
largely complete, apart from additional consultations in some areas.
However, some offices have not yet closed, and Outreach arrangements
remain to be finalised. In the meantime, offices continue to close and
(sometimes) re-open for other reasons, such as shop closures,
refurbishment, redevelopment and resignation/change of postmaster. Such
changes are listed in the BPS Journal.
Partly
to counter the adverse reaction to some closures, a new type of Post
Office branch, called Post Office Essentials, is being trialled in some
20 locations. Such branches, offering a limited range of services, have
self-inking datestamps (SIDs) of the normal pattern, but inscribed "PO
Essentials" at the foot - as in the Old Town, Hastings, example shown
here.
A further development of the Post Office relationship with
W H Smith, who now operate a number of main town-centre Post Office
branches, has been the introduction of Post Office-branded kiosks
offering foreign currency services only in other locations. These use
distinctive "Travel Kiosk" SIDs, like the Preston one illustrated.
Page updated 2nd December 2008
|
|
| |