The petition of residents of the constituency of North Shropshire,
Declares that Oswestry Crown Post Office has been earmarked for potential closure, removing vital mail, money, travel, identity and driving services from the town centre; further declares Oswestry Crown Post Office’s role as an essential community service at the heart of Oswestry; notes that high streets in towns are already facing huge challenges, including business rate hikes and loss of bank branches; further that North Shropshire is one of the worst served constituencies in the England for public transport, and this poses a significant challenge to accessing vital services that crown post offices provide; and further notes that 2,668 people have signed an online petition on this matter.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urge the Government to take into account the concerns of the petitioners and take immediate action to guarantee the future of Oswestry Crown post office.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Helen Morgan, Official Report, 21 May 2025; Vol. 767, c. 1137.]
[P003072]
Observations from the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Business and Trade (Gareth Thomas):
Thank you to the petitioners for raising concerns regarding the potential closure of Oswestry Crown post office.
The Post Office is moving to a fully franchised network as part of its commitment to deliver a new deal for postmasters, which will create a long-term, sustainable future for post offices in communities across the UK. There are currently 108 public-facing directly managed branches—including Oswestry Crown Post Office—out of a network of over 11,500 branches; all are in scope of these changes. The Post Office recently published details regarding the future of Oswestry post office, confirming the branch will not be closing, but will eventually be operated by an independent franchise retail partner from the current premises.
This decision by the Post Office to move to a fully franchised network was taken after months of engagement with various stakeholders including unions and the postmaster consultative council. Despite accounting for less than 1% of the total network, DMBs generate significant losses for the Post Office. To address the losses that these branches incur, and having reviewed all the options put forward by the unions in detail, the Post Office has concluded that moving to a fully franchised network is the only solution that protects post office services in communities. Transitioning to a franchise model will help in tackling the losses the DMBs incur and putting them on a sustainable basis, as this is expected to result in over £100 million of savings for the company over the next five years. The savings created by these changes will put the Post Office in a better position to increase remuneration for postmasters across the UK.
The Post Office remains committed to meeting the network requirements set by the Government, which ensure that the Post Office maintains a minimum number of branches nationwide, and that 99% of the UK population live within three miles of their nearest post office. The Government-set access criteria ensure that however the network changes, services, including banking and cash services, remain within local reach of all citizens. Franchise branches offer the vast majority of services available at DMBs, and the soon-to-be franchised Oswestry branch will still offer the same wide range of services.
The Post Office intends to move at pace to transition to a fully franchised network and expects to complete this transition by the autumn. The Post Office will keep staff and customers informed about changes to individual branches as plans progress.