POST OFFICES FOR SALE - Download as DOC

							Embargo: 27th December 2010



Post Offices close as buyers not interested
26 closures and 49 post offices for sale in the South West


This year, 65 post offices have closed or been put up for sale in the South West, part
of more than 1,000 nation-wide.

In 2010, over 160 post offices were closed nationwide – including 26 in the South West –
and more than 900 were put up for sale – 49 of which were in the South West – as part of
a growing trend of closures. With the Postal Services Bill set for its third reading on 12th
January, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) warns that the proposed legislation will
force many more closures, particularly because there is no guarantee that Royal Mail will
use the Post Office if it is privatised.

According to research carried out by CWU, 164 sub-post offices were listed as “long-term
temporary closures” in 2010 alone. Of these, 26 were in the South West. Many are likely to
stay closed indefinitely and those that do reopen will often do so as a diminished service,
such as an outreach van on set days.

In addition, a staggering 900 post offices – almost 10 per cent of the network – are currently
for sale, but their fate remains unknown and they could also be lost to the “temporary
closure” loophole. Many subpostmasters in the South West are retiring or leaving the
business because of the low levels of revenue generated in sub-offices. In many cases the
Post Office struggles to find alternative premises or service providers. The primary reason
for this is that buyers cannot be found due to instability being caused by the progress of the
Postal Services Bill which does not legislate for an inter-business agreement (IBA) between
Royal Mail and the Post Office.


Billy Hayes, CWU general secretary, said: “Post offices have been closing at an alarming
rate in the South West this year, but didn’t register because they are misleadingly classed
as ‘temporary’ closures. We’re seriously concerned about empty government rhetoric on
avoiding post office closures; these promises are contradicted by government taking
business away from the Post Office and by the planned privatisation of Royal Mail.

“Post offices rely on work generated by mails business and most would be unsustainable if
this was removed. Many of the proposals in the Postal Services Bill, including privatisation of
Royal Mail and splitting the postal group apart, seriously threaten mails business
arrangements for the Post Office.

“With uncertainty hanging over Royal Mail and the post office network, it’s no surprise that
buyers are hard to find. The government must change its approach or face the decimation of
our cherished post office network. Who’s going to buy a business which stands to lose a
substantial part of its income?”


-ends-

Notes to editors:
       The post office network is made up of 11,905 post offices, but 772 of these have now been
        replaced with ‘outreach points’ (where a post office has been closed and replaced by an
        outreach service, which can be as little as a few hours a week).
       The list of 164 long-term temporary closures is attached.
       In 2009-10 there were 47 fewer post offices as a result of temporary closures in addition to
        any agreed closures according to Postcomm www.psc.gov.uk/universal/post_offices
       In 2010, 164 post offices were listed as long-term temporary closed according to the Post
        Office database.
       In November, George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of
        SubPostmasters, told the All Party Parliamentary Group on Post Offices that 900 offices were
        currently for sale and that this is a higher number than usual.
       Vince Cable announced that there would be no more post office closures in a rousing speech
        during Liberal Democrat Party conference in September.
       In their manifesto, the Liberal Democrats pledged to “end the post office closure programme
        and keep rural post offices open.”
       The problem of temporary closures has also been raised by postal watchdog Consumer
        Focus during the committee stage of the Postal Services Bill.

For more information please contact:

Sian Jones, Press Officer, tel: 020 8971 7267, mobile: 0779 3314249, e-mail: sbjones@cwu.org

Kevin Slocombe, Head of Communications, mobile: 07714504413, e-mail: kslocombe@cwu.org

www.cwu.org           www.cwutv.org


The 49 post offices for sale in the South West (Avon, Cornwall, Devon, Dorset,
Gloucestershire, Isles of Scilly, Somerset, Wiltshire) on the Post Office directory
www.ukpo.com/search/search.asp) are:




Brent Street                        Westwells Road
Brent Knoll                         Hawthorn                            Orchard Way
Highbridge                          Corsham                             Mosterton
TA9 4DT                             SN13 9RA                            Beaminster
                                                                        DT8 3LT
Buckland St Mary                    Post Office Stores
Chard                               Horsingham                          60 Sea View Road
Somerset                            Warminster                          Poole
TA20 3SJ                            BA12 7LU                            BH12 3JY

8 Cannon Street                     86 Dolphin Centre                   7 Coniston Road
Bedminster                          Poole                               Patchway
Bristol                             Dorset                              Bristol
BS3 1BL                             BH15 1SZ                            BS34 5PA

Fivehead                            Tynings Way                         Pimperne Shop
Taunton                             Lower Westwood                      Anvil Road
TA3 6PA                             Bradford-on-Avon                    Blandford Forum
                                    BA15 2BU                            Dorset
7-9 Westway                                                             DT11 8UQ
Frome                               Fore Street
Somerset                            Taunton                             79 Fortunes Well
BA11 1BS                            Somerset                            Portland
                                    TA4 1JU                             Dorset
DT5 1NP                            Whitehall              127 Coombe Vale
                                   BRISTOL                Teignmouth
Unit 6/7/8 Severn Way              BS5 7BW                Devon
Shopping Centre                                           TQ14 9ER
Quedgeley                          1 Whitegates
Gloucester                         Winterbourne           Lee Road
GL2 4PE                            Bristol                Lynton
                                   BS36 1JX               EX35 6BS
Blandford Road
Shillingstone                      Alldays                Cornish Coasts Caravan
Blandford Forum                    Dunkery Road           Park
DT11 0SF                           Bridgwater             Middle Penlean Poundstock
                                   TA6 7LW                Bude
Court Lane                                                EX23 0EE
Shipham                            7 Fore Street
Winscombe                          Chacewater             12 Fore Street
BS25 1TF                           Cornwall               St Blazey
                                   TR4 8PS                Par
9 High Street                                             PL24 2N
Stoke Sub Hamdon                   The Knapp
Somerset                           Dalwood                11 Tregenna Hill
TA14 6PP                           Axminster              St. Ives
                                   EX13 7EJ               TR26 1SE
15 Sharston Road
Stourpine                          156 Exeter Road        28 St Michaels Road
Blandford                          Kingsteignton          Paignton
DT11 8TA                           Devon                  TQ4 5LR
                                   TQ12 3NG
99-100 High Street                                        The Strand
Tewkesbury                         The Moor               Starcross
GL20 5JZ                           Falmouth               Exeter
                                   CORNWALL               EX6 8NY
Dunwich Drive                      TR11 3RB
Toothill                                                  Tetbury,
SWINDON                            Fore Street            Gloucestershire
SN5 8DA                            Grampound              GL8 8YD
                                   Truro
12 North Street                    TR2 4QS                Central Lydbrook
Wareham                                                   Lydbrook
BH20 4AA                           38 Fore Street         GL17 9PP
                                   Heavitree
Coronation Avenue                  Exeter                 London Road
Yeovil                             EX1 2QL                Cirencester
Somerset                                                  Gloucestershire
BS21 3DX                           3 The Square           GL7 5JE
                                   Kingswear
7 High Street                      Dartmouth              Ledbury Road
Weston                             TQ6 0AA                Staunton
Bath                                                      Gloucestershire
BA1 4BX                            Blakeshill Road        GL19 3QA
                                   Landkey
76 Regents Park                    Barnstaple             238 Hatherley Road
Weston Super Mare                  EX32 0JH               Up Hatherley
BS23 1AA                                                  Cheltenham
                                                          GL51 6HB


Source:           Post Office branches for sale
                  http://www.ukpo.com/search/search.asp