Bid to protect post services in Ryedale

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SAFEGUARDING the future of Ryedale’s remaining post offices is the mission of a new task force set up by the district council.

The area was badly hit by the closure of rural post offices in a cost-cutting scheme three years ago.

Now, a group of councillors has been told that Ryedale could be in the vanguard of an initiative by the Post Office nationally to explore ways of retaining and enhancing existing rural post offices.

Clare Slater, the authority’s head of transformation, told Ryedale District Council’s scrutiny committee that the study is focussing on branch offices, many in the scores of villages in the district, and on outreach services.

She said the council had been told by the Government that there will be no further closures under the present administration at Westminster, including outreach services which, she added, account for 38 per cent of Ryedale’s post office services.

She said: “Post Office Ltd wants to work with the council, local sub-postmasters and the Ryedale community to understand how local pilot proposals might work in a rural area.”

She said local pilots were being promoted by the Post Office in Sheffield and it was proposing changes to the network. The organisation is asking the council what rural communities think of the current network, range of products and services it offers and what the aspirations are for the service in Ryedale and how best to work with communities.

Ms Slater said issues being pursued include studying the use of council tax payment cards, mapping of rural businesses where alternative post office services are available, including Paypoint and parcel delivery services.

The scrutiny committee is to get a further report on progress.

Coun Elizabeth Shields, the chairman, said she welcomed the council’s initiative because post office services are vital to villages and their communities, especially those which were not well served by public transport.