Post Office closures slammed as millions of elderly risk being left behind

More than a 100 potential Post Office branch closures will be “very dispiriting” for millions of older people who “rely on traditional services”, according to the head of a leading elderly charity.

Some 1,000 jobs are at risk under a sweeping overhaul as the group looks to boost postmaster pay by £250 million over five years.

As part of the changes the company revealed it is looking to offload 115 directly-owned branches within its 11,500 network, which could see them transferred to retail partners or postmasters, or potentially closed.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said the changes fit into a “longer-term pattern” facing those who “are not comfortable and confident computer users”.

She told Express.co.uk: “Today’s news fits into a longer-term pattern of announcements about contractions in the availability of Post Office services, as the organisation responds to a rapidly changing market where more and more communications are going online.

“This is very dispiriting for older people who don’t use the internet and who therefore rely on traditional postal services, as they have done throughout their lives.

“Since millions of older people in our country are either not online at all or are not comfortable and confident computer users, it’s vital that a decent traditional Post Office service continues and is protected for the foreseeable future.

“It remains a valuable part of our national infrastructure and needs to be treated as such.”

Despite the foreboding news, business minister Gareth Thomas said no decisions have been taken to close any of the remaining 115 directly owned branches within the Post Office’s 11,500 network, as he responded to the proposed overhaul outlined by company chairman Nigel Railton.

Mr Thomas also told the Commons: “Doing nothing at the Post Office is simply not an option.”

Making a statement to MPs, Mr Thomas said the Post Office provides “vital” banking services and he raised the importance of postmasters.

But he also pointed to the Horizon scandal which saw more than 900 subpostmasters prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts.

Mr Thomas said: “We have to recognise that the Post Office is far from perfect.

“We have seen this from evidence given at the (Post Office Horizon IT) inquiry. It’s clear there needs to be significant cultural change at the Post Office to ensure it genuinely prioritises the needs of postmasters and delivers customers’ needs far into the future.

“It’s also clear more needs to be done to rebuild trust within the business and with the public who depend on their services.

“It’s no secret too that the business is facing commercial challenges – nearly half of its branches are not profitable or only make a small profit from the Post Office business.

“Postmaster pay hasn’t increased materially for a decade. The company has a high cost base and needs to transform its IT system.”