Village post offices: have your say

THE Department of Business and Trade (DBT) has warned that the current level of taxpayer funding for the postal service is 'unsustainable'.

- Jane Wheatley

This could mean the closure of village post offices that are not financially viable, despite many of these providing a vital service in rural communities, for instance helping elderly and partially sighted people to pay bills and decipher paperwork. A Government Green Paper consultation is setting out plans to provide more autonomy and better remuneration for sub-postmasters and asks for their comments. One suggestion is to replace franchises with a 'mutual' model, in which the Post Office would be owned by its members and stakeholders, similar to the John Lewis Partnershi