Post Office closures "bad for small firms"

The Post Office's recent programme of closures and reorganisation of post offices around the country has come in for criticism from the Forum of Private Business (FPB).

More than 2,500 post offices are expected to be axed across the UK, as part of the Network Change Programme.

Branches have been selected for closure using the "national access criteria", which states that 95% of a postcode district's population should live within six miles of a post office. However, this does not take into account public transport access or routing.

The FPB is calling for new, innovative methods to maintain access to the postal service for more remote communities. It says that small firms in such areas are both increasingly vital for community survival, and often the most reliant on the traditional postal service.

"The government's review of the postal service recognised the important social role that post office branches play within communities," said FPB policy representative Mathew Goodman. "Small firms in the vicinity frequently benefit from the passing trade," he added.

"Closing these outlets, and the subsequent loss of the services they provide, could be a real body blow for many small businesses unless adequate alternative arrangements are put in place."