Post Office Closures

HL Deb 19 April 2000 vol 612 cc104-5WA

Earl Peel

asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether the Guardian of Tuesday 4 April was accurate in estimating 400–500 rural post office closures in the next year; and if not, what is their estimate. [HL1932]

Lord McIntosh of Haringey

I understand that the estimate of 400–500 rural post office closures in the next year reported in theGuardian on 4 April is a wholly speculative number. In the Post Office's financial year to 27 March 2000, the net number of post office closures was 383.

As all sub-post offices are privately owned and operated, there can be many different reasons affecting the decision to close. There is therefore no accurate way of forecasting future closure levels but Post Office Counters Ltd seeks to maintain post office services wherever possible.