Examination of Witnesses (Questions 40-43)
AMICUS-CMA
16 NOVEMBER 2004
Q40 Judy Mallaber: You have called for
Government support for the directly managed branch network similar
to that given to rural post offices, particularly in areas where
it is needed to maintain a social and community service. The Government
has made it clear that they want the post office network to operate
on commercial lines. What arguments would you make to persuade
the Government to act otherwise?
Dr Skyte: There is no problem
whatsoever in Post Office Limited and the whole of the post office
network operating on commercial lines and making a surplus, you
would just close 80% of all the post offices. Going against that
are the social and community needs and services. The Government
cannot have it both ways. There is a need to support rural post
offices because of their nature and we would say in a similar
way there is a need, not necessarily permanently but as an interim
measure, to try and provide a degree of support to those post
offices which are judged to be essential for a particular community
or the area and which without such support would either close
or would have to move somewhere else. In the Network Reinvention
programme when decisions were made about whether particular urban
post offices should close it was based upon whether there was
a Crown post office within the vicinity that could be the receiving
branch, but if there are no directly managed offices close by
then you are left without that support. We believe there ought
to be consideration given to network support through urban offices
plus also support from other beneficiaries of the service, whether
it is local authorities or third party agencies, as happens in
other countries. There is no reason why local authority services
could not be developed in a greater way through post office branches.
In London I do not see why people should not be able to pay the
Congestion Charge or buy Travelcards from the post office, which
currently they cannot do, and you can have similar things in other
local authority areas.
Q41 Judy Mallaber: Is that what you have
got in mind when you talk about support from the community in
which directly managed branches are sited, that kind of revenue
raising from other sections within that community?
Dr Skyte: Yes.
Q42 Judy Mallaber: Do you have any other
examples?
Dr Skyte: Parking permits and
charges, rates, third party agency services, for example in Sweden
they have Postem. Messaging and logistics services are being developed
through the network of post offices. It is a question of being
more imaginative and moving towards a place where people can provide
a service to the community over and above those that exist already.
There needs to be a joined-up policy both nationally and locally.
If managers were given encouragement to manage and more investment
was put into training they could develop local initiatives that
will not have to be developed from the middle of London, they
can be developed locally with managers making connections and
joining up with local providers in the vicinity.
Q43 Chairman: I think we have covered
pretty well all the points, Dr Skyte. Is there anything else you
want to say at this juncture?
Dr Skyte: No. I think we have
covered everything that we wanted to cover. Thank you very much.
Chairman: We will get back to you if
there is anything else we need to hear from you about. Thank you
very much.
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