Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what steps his Department is taking through the High Streets Strategy to support post offices as community hubs.

This year MHCLG will bring forward a new High Streets Strategy; we are working closely with businesses and representative bodies to inform this, including Post Office Ltd.

We recognise the vital role post offices play as community and economic hubs on high streets across the country. The Green Paper published last year outlining the Government’s vision for the Post Office, included an objective for the Post Office network to support high streets.

Post Office Ltd has an ambition to expand access to face-to-face in-person advisory services available on the high street through the Post Office network. The forthcoming Post Office pilots, due to launch this summer, represent an important first step in testing and expanding that advisory offer.