Newquay's main Post Office to be sold off

The Post Office has announced plans to move to a fully franchised network with Newquay's East Street branch outsourced later this year.

It means the 108 remaining Directly Managed Branches will be outsourced, in a move that is subject to Government funding.

The company says communities currently served by a Directly Managed Branch will still be able to access Post Office services either at, or near to, the same location.

A spokesperson told Radio Newquay that the East Street office will not be closing. They said it is too soon to provide further details about who may take it on or when, but they “want to complete the franchising by the autumn”.

The Post Office says its Directly Managed Branches generate “a fully allocated loss” of over £40 million each year. A review into their future was launched in November.

The Post Office would not confirm if staff were facing redundancy or would be transferred to new franchise partner but the Communication Workers Union says the loss of 1000 jobs shows they have learned nothing from the Horizon Scandal.

General Secretary Dave Ward said “The Horizon Scandal and the damage it did to thousands of individuals and the reputation of the Post Office should have been a wake up moment for the whole company. It should have delivered a complete shift in approach, ethos and engagement with frontline workers."

CWU General Secretary Dave Ward said “The Horizon Scandal and the damage it did to thousands of individuals and the reputation of the Post Office should have been a wake up moment for the whole company. It should have delivered a complete shift in approach, ethos and engagement with frontline workers."

Nigel Railton, Post Office Chair, said:
“Over the coming months, we will continue to work with our unions to ensure that we treat our staff working in these 108 branches with care and respect through this transition, consulting with them on proposed changes. The 108 Post Offices will either stay in the same location where possible or be located close to the existing location, meaning customers will continue to have access to a full suite of products and services.”

The Post Office said today that further details on proposals will be shared with local communities and stakeholders for individual branches in the coming weeks.