Post Office Consultation

8.48.00am GMT Mon 21st Dec 2009

Trevor Carbin and Duncan Hames at Holt Post Office

In recent years both Conservative and Labour governments have put the boot into the Post Office network, particularly in rural areas. However the latest consultation on Post Office Banking produced by the Department for Business Innovation and Skills gives a gleam of hope for our Post Offices.

The economic crisis has been caused by bankers and politicians losing touch with reality and the people they should be serving. Small scale banking with a local and trustworthy organisation provides one way of ensuring that next time the big bankers wreck the economy they'll take fewer ordinary people down with them.

Despite the depredations there are still 11,500 Post Office branches in the land, and if we use the Post Office for banking services we know that products will be straightforward and of good value, with none of the tricks the high street banks sometimes play on their customers.

A larger role for Post Office branches would help them to survive in a time of change. Suggestions in the consultation paper include providing weekly budgeting accounts, current accounts, childrens' savings accounts, business accounts and links to credit unions.

The consultation runs until the 24th February and I would urge as many of my readers as possible to respond. The consultation paper is at www.bis.gov.uk/postofficebanking