Post Office closures across the capital

Here at Age UK London, we recently sent a letter, co-signed by all 23 local Age UK partners in London, to Post Office Ltd, regarding the proposed changes to some 32 Directly Managed Branches (DMBs) in London. A full list can be found here. 

What’s the situation? 

Post Office Ltd about plans to close 32 Crown Post Offices across the capital boroughs. A full list can be found here.  

Crown Post Offices are the directly owned and run Post Offices rather than the franchise model (e.g. Post Offices inside WHSmiths, Tesco, Co-Ops etc.). 

Why do Post Office branches matter? 

Post Offices are a lifeline to many people - especially older people. Many older Londoners rely on Post Offices to manage their money, access services and advice, and for some, collect their pensions.  

With the shift towards online banking, Post Offices are crucial to ensuring those who lack the confidence, skills or means to access the internet, are not left behind – this includes 200,000 Londoners over 75 who do not use the internet at all. Without these Post Office branches, many will find it hard to manage their finances, whilst those forced online who might lack the necessary IT skills and confidence, risk becoming victim to online scams.  

With Post Office branches potentially being relocated to distances further away from the original site, the financial independence of many older Londoners will be impacted. Any expectation that older Londoners will easily travel to branches further away significantly underestimates the challenges faced by some older people when travelling, particularly if they have limited mobility or find it difficult to use public transport. 

Research by Citizens Advice found that over 2 in 5 people with lower household incomes who have used a Post Office said they would become more dependent on others to access services if a branch they used started to provide a slimmed-down service. There is also the financial cost of travelling further, with 22% of older Londoners over 50 living in poverty, changes to Post Office branches could make the situation worse by pushing older Londoners on low incomes into further financial insecurity.  

What did we learn? 

A few days after sending the letter we received a response on behalf of Neil Brocklehurst, CEO of Post Office Ltd. 

The letter assured us that the 32 specific Crown closures will be replaced by franchise branch alternatives in the near vicinity of the former branch – “… at least one main branch within a 1-mile radius of the existing DMB”. This is part of Post Office Ltd’s plans to move to a fully franchised network. The response went onto say that services and jobs will be protected, and efficiencies made.  

Whilst the Post Office Ltd’s response provided some reassurance, these branch closures are not in isolation but part of a bigger picture as there are concerns about issues affecting many already franchised Post Office branches. For example, we have heard from a resident in Forestdale, Croydon, telling us about their local Post Office branch inside a Morrisons. When the supermarket recently closed, the Post Office went with it.  

What’s next?  

At Age UK London we remain concerned with the following questions: 

• Will all of the Crown branches be replaced by franchised branches as Post Office Ltd claim? 

• Will key face-to-face services be maintained?  

Over the coming months, we are keeping a close eye on any developments. We have asked local Age UK partners to notify us of any changes to the situation. If you have any experiences of recent Post Office closures in your local area, please email us at campaigns@ageuklondon.org.uk. 

If we need to, we will hold Post Office Ltd to account to ensure older Londoners, and others, can continue to access the vital services they need and deserve.  

This blog was written by Elodie Pinn, Campaigns Support Officer at Age UK London. 

Main image source: Photo by Robert Firth - Clapham residents hit out at Post Office closure plans - southlondon.co.uk