Is this likely to happen?

[Teddyrose54]

I was in the village PO yesterday and as per normal it was empty.

It's run by a young know it all, and people just don't like going in there.

So I asked him if he was worried~ "not a bit" he said.

How come? says I

Well according to him, the government are planning to re open all the little post offices again.

And they are "doing a deal|" with the banks.

So that everyone will be useing the post offices for banking, and the banks can then close lots and lots of branches.

If we have an problems there will be a banking help line.

Now for the life of me, I can't see how this makes sense.

He's not winding me up, he really does believe this will happen. Said he is "in the know"~

Could it be a good thing or not?

[shezz]

I would'nt put it past goverment (the banks) to do something like that, thinking of it I hardly use my bank, I go in to pay cash into my account, thats all, so if i can pay it into my account from the post office up the road, save going into town, more the better for me


I think that may be the way it goes eventually,

[Teddyrose54]

I can't see the sense in closing banks and re opening closed post offices.

[millenniums]

Everyone in the US thinks the government owns the US Post Office. They don't. They are an independant business, and business hasn't been that good for years. Not since it became easier to send Grandma an animated birthday card via email instead of buying a card AND a stamp, or God forbid, actually sitting down and writing her a letter with another stamp! I've been waiting over a year for a $50 insurance claim! Unless you know the government is running the UK Post Office, I'd say that guy is a fool.

[astral276]

It would seem to make sense to co-locate compatible enterprises - particularly where they are being closed due to under usage and costs.

If you could get a bank and the Post Office to share the costs of a single property then they may remain viable businesses where alone they would fail. Plus the combined custom for both would again help make the combined business viable.

Seems like a good idea to me - as long as there was independent overseeing to ensure the public's need was kept in the equations.

[Teddyrose54]

I can see the sense in having both together.

But why close those which are already open, and open those which are already closed?

[astral276]

But why close those which are already open, and open those which are already closed?

That's not what you said in the OP. You said:

So that everyone will be useing the post offices for banking, and the banks can then close lots and lots of branches.

So they will not be opening and closing one and the other. The banks would be supporting the post offices, which would then handle their banking customers, and they could then close the bank branches. The reductions in overall cost for the banks should allow them to support more post offices than the number of branches they close and still save money.

The reason I think bank branches would give way to post offices is that the Post Office is already geared up to handle banking but banks are not geared up to handle mail.

[westlondoncarparts]

The current thinktank suggestion is to allow people access to their bank accounts at the post office as a way of generating some more income for post offices to improve their financial viability. This would be a U turn in Government policy and would reverse the loss of business such as the issuing of television licences that post offices have suffered from in recent years and which is behind some of the closures. There is no intention for this to mean high street bank closures. The suggestion assumes that if people come to the post office to do some banking, they might also buy a loaf of bread and a pint of milk at the post office, thereby also improving the financial viability of these businesses. There is also another suggestion that a new Post Office bank be created to increase competition in the banking sector and to give banking customers more choice.

At long last there seems to be some support for the post office network coming from Government and a recognition that the network is a national asset that needs nurturing and support rather than having it run into the ground by faceless bureaucrats who have no commercial expertise or business creativity.

[Teddyrose54]

"Well according to him, the government are planning to re open all the little post offices again."

That is the part I do not understand. That is what does not make much sense to me.

As it cost a lot to close these down, now they are being opened up again.

Still it's only what this one person has said, unless anyone else has heard anything.

[mainlypostcards]

There is also another suggestion that a new Post Office bank be created to increase competition in the banking sector and to give banking customers more choice.

I have heard that being mentioned, but I've also heard that there is going to be 100% privatisation of the PO (I thought they already were a completely private company).