Post Office will shut one in five High Street branches after

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Post Office will shut one in five High Street branches after 'losing £40m a year'

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The Post Office has been accused of delivering a 'huge blow' after announcing it will shut one in five of its branches because it is losing £40m a year.

Of 373 Crown Post Offices, it has revealed plans to seek partnerships with retail firms for 70 of its main high street branches.

The company said the move will help the offices, based mainly in high streets or busy shopping centres, remain in their current locations, pledging no compulsory redundancies.

There are 373 Crown Post Offices, still widely relied upon by members of the public

But the Communication Workers Union (CWU) described the decision as the 'partial destruction' of the so-called Crown office network.

Staff were in 'shock' at the move, which would have a big impact on the high streets of small towns, said the union.

The Post Office said they were losing £40 million a year, so it was seeking retail partners for 70 branches, enabling them to stay in their current locations.

A number of Crown offices have closed over the years and services transferred to WH Smith and Co-op stores.

The Post Office said it was seeking to link up with national partners, or local, independent firms, adding that if it could not find a suitable deal, the Crown office will remain.

The Post Office said in a statement: 'We are currently undertaking the biggest business transformation programme in the history of the Post Office.

'Our investment will maintain the size of the network and modernise branches to meet customer needs.

A number of offices have closed over the years and services transferred to WH Smith and Co-op stores

'Crown branches are a fundamental part of our long-term growth strategy and need to be brought into profit, currently operating at a £40 million annual loss.

'The Post Office successfully works with many partners and in some areas it is more viable to partner with quality retailers. There are no compulsory redundancies planned as part of this strategy.'

CWU general secretary Billy Hayes said the announcement was a 'huge blow' to the Post Office network, saying: 'Staff will be in shock at the scale of what will effectively be the closures of Crown post offices across the country.

'This move will have a huge impact on the high streets of small towns earmarked to lose their Crown post office.

'These offices provide a dedicated specialist service to communities which will not be replicated by a window or two in a bigger shop.

'We've seen problems with access to Post Office services in previous franchise arrangements and fear this announcement could create further barriers to accessing a range of Post Office services.

'It leaves huge questions about the future of the Post Office - how can it realistically deliver services for passport applications, identity services and a range of financial services while being dramatically pruned back?
What does it mean for Metropolitan Police plans to move into London post offices?'

Robert Hammond, of Consumer Focus, said: 'The Post Office network must change if it is to be sustainable.

'These changes to Crown post offices are part of the biggest-ever programme of change to the network and consumers will want to see Post Office services that are high-quality and accessible, and offer the products and services they need. This is more important than the issue of who operates the post office itself.

'Post Office Ltd must require major franchise operators to commit to service improvements in accessible locations and will need to actively monitor the quality of service offered through its franchise branches.'