Every Post Office in the South West at risk of closing - check the list for yours

Post Offices in the South West are at risk of closing amid a huge overhaul which could see some 1,000 people lose their jobs. The Post Office revealed it is looking to offload 115 directly-owned branches within its 11,500 network, which could see them transferred to retail partners or postmasters, or potentially closed.

With about 1,000 workers at risk of seeing their roles cut, the Post Office also confirmed that hundreds more jobs are under threat at its headquarters as it looks to streamline back office operations. In the South West, 10 stores are at risk of being shut, unless they are taken over other companies or independent postmasters.

Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said the shake-up will also offer a “new deal for postmasters” by increasing their share of revenue and giving them a greater say in the running of the business as it looks to move on from the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongfully convicted.

The plans are subject to government funding and could see the average branch pay doubled by 2030 with an extra £120 million by the end of the first year. Mr Railton made the announcement at the company’s headquarters in London on Wednesday in a speech to postmasters across the country, as well as retail partners and Post Office staff.

Locally, Post Office locations in Yate Sodbury and Nailsea are at risk of closing, alongside those in Gloucester and Stroud in Gloucestershire. Six more locations in Devon and Cornwall are also at risk of closing.

Mr Railton said: “The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and today we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters. We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.”

He added the overhaul also “begins a new phase of partnership during which we will strengthen the postmaster voice in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the frontline to the boardroom”.

The 115 branches put at risk are are Crown Post Offices located in city centres and staffed by Post Office employees. They are the only remaining branches directly owned by the Post Office, down from close to 400 in 2010. Retailers such as WH Smith, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-Op operate around 2,000 Post Offices across the country while the rest of the network – about 9,000 Post Offices – are operated by independent postmasters.

A spokesman for the Post Office said: “The plan intends to create a new operating model for the business that means ensuring the Post Office has the right organisational design.”

South West Post Offices at risk of closing

Yate
Stroud
Nailsea
Gloucester
Teignmouth
Paignton
Newquay
Plymouth Mutley Plain
Liskeard
Bideford