Citizens Advice responds to Post Office Limited announcement

As Post Office Limited announces a further 37 Crown branches will become franchises, Citizens Advice says it is important customers still get access to the services they need at a convenient location.

Citizens Advice Chief Executive Gillian Guy said:

“For post office customers, it is important that the new locations are convenient, there is a high standard of customer service and people still have access to the same services - like accessing banking - as they did previously.

“Running post offices as franchises is nothing new - the vast majority of the UK’s 11,500 post offices are run by independent operators.  

“Over the last few years thousands of dedicated post office branches have been moving to locations within other shops or services.  There is a lot to learn from how this has worked - such as the importance of notifying people about how and when services are changing - in order to make sure these latest changes continue to meet customers’ needs.

“It’s also important that Post Office Limited doesn’t close crown branches before the new franchise branches are up and running.”

Citizens Advice has the statutory duty to represent consumers in the postal and energy markets.

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Notes to editors

  1. The Citizens Advice service comprises a network of local Citizens Advice, all of which are independent charities, the Citizens Advice consumer service and national charity Citizens Advice. Together we help people resolve their money, legal and other problems by providing information and advice and by influencing policymakers. For more see the Citizens Advice website .

  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. To get advice online or find your local Citizens Advice in England and Wales, visit citizensadvice.org.uk

  4. You can get consumer advice from the Citizens Advice consumer service on 03454 04 05 06 or 03454 04 05 05 for Welsh language speakers.

  5. Local Citizens Advice in England and Wales advised 2.5 million clients on 6.2 million problems in 2014/15. For full service statistics see our publication  Advice trends .

  6. Citizens Advice service staff are supported by more than 21,000 trained volunteers, working at over 2,500 service outlets across England and Wales.