Have your say on Post Office changes, Citizens Advice urges public

04-01-2007

How would you be affected if your local post office closed? Citizens Advice is giving people a chance to have their say on the future of the post office network through an online survey, launched today on the national charity’s website www.adviceguide.org.uk

The quick and easy survey asks about the Post Office services people use, what they value about post offices and how the community they live in would be affected if their local branch were to close.

Other questions aim to find out how often people use their post office, how easy it would be to get to another branch, and where they would go to get the same services if their local post office was no longer available.

The answers will help shape the charity’s response to the government’s consultation on the future of the post office network.

Citizens Advice social policy officer Tony Herbert said:

"People often say that post offices play an important community role.  We want to find out whether this is really true, and if so, what people think that role is.  We also want to hear what, if anything, people really value about the post office - do post offices really provide a unique service, or could what they do be done equally well by a range of other providers?

"The results of the survey will also give us a clearer idea of who would be most affected by the loss of local branches, and what the impact on their lives would be - from the additional costs incurred in travelling further, to any extra inconvenience.

"We can’t escape the fact that for the network to remain viable, some changes to the way services are provided are inevitable. But we want to make sure that, as its review gets underway, the Government does not lose sight of the role of the post office at the heart of the community.  We want to see a post office network that meets people’s needs.  Our survey will provide ordinary people with the opportunity to make sure their opinions are heard."

Notes to editors on Citizens Advice

1. The Citizens Advice service is a network of independent charities that helps people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more information in England and Wales www.citizensadvice.org.uk
2. The advice provided by the Citizens Advice service is free, independent, confidential, and impartial, and available to everyone regardless of race, gender, disability, sexual orientation, religion, age or nationality.
3. Most Citizens Advice service staff are trained volunteers, working at over 3,300 locations across England and Wales.
4. Advice and information www.adviceguide.org.uk
5. Volunteer hotline 08451 264264 (local rate)
6. Citizens Advice Guide to your rights, second edition: January 2008 - over 600 pages of practical, independent CAB advice. An invaluable resource for any bookshelf - available from all good bookshops; price £11.99; ISBN: 9780141034089
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