Today ( after returning from channel 5 and dealing with the latest batch of emails and letters) I went to a briefing from the Post Office.
With over 11,500 branches the Post Office has a physical and personal presence right across the UK. After thousands of branches closed under the last Labour Government including several in Bury the Coalition has called time on future post office closures and instead pledges hundreds of millions of pounds to modernise the post office network and secure it for the future.
In future instead of having a one size fits all model for post offices there will be different types depending on the location of the branch.
Many people do not realise that with the exception of a few Crown Post Offices most Post Offices are actually privately owned small businesses. Main branches will offer a modern environment selling the traditional range of Post Office items including financial services and in many cases they will be open longer hours than they are currently.
There will also be Local model Post Offices which will see Post Office services offered at a retail counter rather than at a dedicated Post Office counter. Hundreds of post offices across the Country have already been converted to this new style and initial feedback has been very positive from both owners and customers. These changes are already happening across Bury and I hope local residents will agree that where there are changes and in some cases temporary closures whilst modernisation takes place is much better than us losing more Post Offices
David Nuttall 