We must invest in our nation’s vital Post Office Network

Post offices up and down the country are facing uncertainty despite providing vital services and contributing an estimated £4.7 billion annually to the UK economy. Although they provide much more than economic benefits, according to The Post Office, their presence adds to the local economy, and they can generate additional spending in the businesses around them.

In the debate last week I was pleased to be able to speak about the community services Post Offices provide and highlight that many in my Didcot and Wantage constituency are under threat. They offer vital human contact and offer information and support for people who might otherwise be isolated, particularly given suboptimal rural transport links.

The work of the postmistress in Blewbury, where the village Post Office is based in the village hall, was given as an example of both the invaluable postal service offered but also the extra support they can provide. Postmistress Karen Foreman told me of how she had recently helped with locating a lost cat, a lost bunch of keys and a missing bank card!

This is why I repeat my call for much needed investment in the Post Office Network. Post Offices are facing rising operating costs and the services they offer do not generate much revenue, making it hard to keep the lights on with an estimated 1.7 pence per transaction in revenue. But we can do a lot more to support our community branches.

Post offices can provide vital local services, but only if they are properly supported and invested in and staffed appropriately. So, for example, could we do more with Post Office hubs in terms of enabling people who are digitally excluded to get assistance.

We still need to get justice for wronged postmasters, with the flawed Horizon system still being used, and to give more support to the people who’ve been neglected. The Post Office Network and the very hard working postmasters and mistresses in villages such as Blewbury, and many others in my constituency and beyond, are in dire need of our support.