National Position
In December 2006, the Department of Trade and Industry announced its intention to implement a restructuring and modernisation of the Post Office (PO) network. Throughout 2007 PO Ltd undertook research and developed criteria for assessment of Post Offices.
This assessment criteria included evaluation of local population demographics, accessibility criteria including availability and frequency of public transport, geographical barriers e.g., hills, rivers, and the sustainability of business usage at individual branches.
Stroud District Post Offices
On 5th February 2008 the Post Office Area Plan Proposal for Gloucestershire was made public as part of the national Network Change Programme.
A map has been produced which outlines the impact of the investigation in Gloucestershire. This announcement commences with a 6 week consultation period which ends on Monday 17th March 2008. The final announcement will be on the 6th June 2008 where sub-postmasters will have 1-2 months to close their branches.
During this consultation period, Stroud District Council (SDC) will be working with affected sub-postmasters and local communities to help mitigate any negative impacts and realise any opportunities. Based on this working knowledge, SDC will also make a formal response to PO Ltd on these proposed closures during this consultation period. This response must address irregularities or inconsistencies in the intelligence gathered by PO Ltd relating to their assessment criteria.
The Branch Access reports for the whole of England can be found on the Post Office website.
The Area Plan Proposal contains a list of 26 post offices in Gloucestershire recommended for closure, of which 7 are in the Stroud District. A further 2 post offices in the District are also recommended for closure in their present form and are proposed to be replaced with a Post Office "Outreach" Service:
Proposed Post Office Closures
- Ebley, Stroud
- Forrest Green, Nailsworth
- Highfield, Dursley
- Horsley, nr Nailsworth
- Sharpness (nr. Sharpness Docks)
- South Woodchester
- Uplands, Stroud
Proposed Outreach Branches
- Cranham
- Miserden
Useful Links
Rural Services Support Group help leaflets for local communities affected by Post Office - www.grcc.org.uk
Further information on outreach services - www.postoffice.co.uk
Further information on the Gloucestershire's Area Plan Proposal and the Branch Access reports - www.postoffice.co.uk
