Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many Community Post Offices in each Parliamentary constituency receive funding from the public purse.

The Post Office is modernising and improving its national network, with thousands of branches benefitting from investment under the Government funded Network Transformation programme. This programme has already seen over 7,000 of the network’s branches modernised, delivering benefits to customers, including much longer opening hours and improved branch environments.

It has also seen around 3,000 branches designated as ‘Community Branches’. These are typically ‘the last shop or service in a village or community’, providing vital access to Post Office services in areas which are mostly remote, rural or urban deprived. Community Branches are benefitting from continuing to receive a fixed element of remuneration from Post Office, and do not receive Government funding directly. Additionally, these branches have also had access to a £20m Government funded Community Branch Fund, to provide them with investment to help support their long-term sustainability.