The below article (published by Anne Pardoe at Citizens Advice) discusses whether recently announced Government funding for rural post offices is enough to keep them operating

The government has announced it will continue to subsidise rural post offices, but is it enough to save them?

Post offices are a vital part of the community. With over 11,500 branches, there are now more post offices than bank and building societies. 9 in 10 people across Great Britain have used a post office in the last year. And 1 in 5 use a post office once a week, increasing to around 1 in 4 people in rural areas. They are one of the few remaining ways people can access essential services face to face. So how they are funded is really important.

In the most rural and remote areas it can be difficult for post offices to break even, let alone make a profit. In recognition of the vital role they play, the government provides a subsidy to help keep them open. This supports roughly 4,000 post offices, including 3,000 rural ‘last shop in the village’ branches. Without the subsidy, the future of many rural branches could be at risk.

Continued government funding is welcome

This week the government announced it will continue to support the most rural post offices. It will provide a subsidy of £50 million a year between now and 2025 — the same amount as currently provided.

This is important for 2 reasons. First, it ends months of uncertainty for many rural post offices that depend on the subsidy to stay open. Second, it protects access to services for those who rely on these branches the most. Such as older people, disabled people and small businesses.

But there are still significant cracks in the network

Although this is good news, it might not be enough. The post office network faces significant problems, particularly growing cracks in rural areas.

There’s been an extraordinary rise in the number of part-time outreach services. This is where a postmaster from a permanent branch provides a part-time service. 1 in 3 rural post offices in Britain are now provided as part-time outreach services. These services are open for an average of 5.5 hours a week, but some are open for as little as 1 hour a week.

- The full article (which includes infographics) can be found here