The Government must take responsibility for preventing the axing of thousands of rural post offices which would damage rural communities and their sustainability.

This is the message from the Campaign to Protect Rural England [1] as the nation waits to see whether rural post offices will be thrown a life line by the Government or be consigned to wholesale closures from 2008 [2].

‘Despite a clear and articulate campaign across the land led by the National Federation of Subpostmasters [3], there is still no sign that the great social and environmental value of the network of rural post offices has been recognised, said Tom Oliver, Head of Rural Policy at CPRE.

‘It would be shameful were the Government to wash its hands of this urgent issue. The welfare of many people who live in rural areas and specially those who are old or young or without cars is at stake, Tom Oliver continued.

CPRE’s own research and monitoring of local rural communities [4] indicates that rural post offices play a key role in:

• making it possible to live and work in smaller rural settlements without excessive dependence on car journeys;

• retaining a day to day central place for much community life, particularly significant for the young, old, infirm and vulnerable and;

• acting as a seed bed for many local businesses, specially where a local shop and a post office are combined. 

‘CPRE passionately believes that viable rural communities benefit many people and specially those who live, work in or visit the countryside. Our research, as well as the Government’s, suggests this is the majority of the population, so the Government would be seriously failing if it let the rural post office network decline. That’s what will happen unless it comes up with an imaginative scheme to secure the network’s future,’ Tom Oliver concluded.

– END –

NOTES FOR EDITORS

1. CPRE, the Campaign to Protect Rural England, is a charity which promotes the beauty, tranquillity and diversity of rural England. We advocate positive solutions for the long-term future of the countryside. Founded in 1926, we have 60,000 supporters and a branch in every county. President: Sir Max Hastings. Patron: Her Majesty The Queen.

2. The rural post office network made a loss last year of £111m. Government funding of £450m over three years for rural post offices expires in 2006. A further £300m will be available until 2008.  But beyond 2008 there is no Government commitment to support the existing 8,500 rural post offices. The problem has been worsened by the Government’s intention to abandon the Post Office Card Account which the Government itself introduced and which has 4.7 million customer accounts. The Citizens Advice Bureau (CAB) says that 'despite its limited functionality, the POCA has been incredibly popular' (source: CAB website). 6,500 rural post offices are under threat of closure if the subsidy is not renewed and no other means are provided by Government to give rural post offices a commercial future.

3. The National Federation of Subpostmasters has delivered a petition of 4million signatures to the Prime Minister, the largest ever domestic petition.

4. CPRE’s report The Real Choice – How local foods can survive the supermarket onslaught published in June 2006 called on the Government to ‘recognise the key social and economic role of post offices in the viability of communities, especially in rural areas…Government should commit to the continuation of the Post Office Card Account after 2010’. The report also identified the additional harm to the environment which would be caused by greater reliance on private car use as a result of rural post office closures.