Green Man supporting the 'Post Office Bank'

There are two things which have led me to email my MP and ask him to support a motion (EDM 1082) which proposes the development of a Post Office Bank.  Firstly, with many 'High Street' banks having financial difficulties and some having to be bailed out by the Government, it would make sense to have a bank entirely supported by the Government, with no shareholders looking for a profit.  Secondly, Post Offices are still closing down partly as a result of decisions to increase the online or electronic transfer of pensions and other benefits.

I see Post Offices as an essential cornerstone of local communities, and their closure has meant that people who used to walk less than a mile to get to their local Post Office might now have to go by car.  Their loss isn't just the Post Office facilities, but the other things the shop sells... newspapers, sweets, basic groceries (our local one sells milk, sugar, teabags, basic stationery and birthday cards etc). The weekly trip to the Post Office, for some, used to be an important part of their social lives, as some people living alone don't have a lot of human contact and their weekly pension collection is the contact they need to feel part of society.  If a Post Office closes, other shops nearby might lose trade too, so putting them at risk.  

The House of Commons Business and Enterprise Select Committee is conducting an inquiry into the future of the Post Office, and this includes suggestions about a Post Office Bank, able to offer cheques, credit/debit cards, overdrafts and other financial services.  My MP, Hugh Bayley, suggested a number of other possible services (after consulting with sub postmasters and the City of York Council) including allowing branches to process some other financial products such as council tax and rent payments, insurance etc, and issuing things like bus passes.  Some Post Offices could have internet terminals to allow access to services currently being promoted as easily accessible on the web, like TV licences and car tax.  Many people still don't have domestic access to the 'net and access at a post office might be one way of keeping the local offices open.  Hugh Bayley also suggested a Post Office Travel Agency... something I'm less keen on, but my suggestion would be being able to link with the local Credit Union so payments could be made easily, instead of the current arangement (in York at least) of the CU having a room in the Council Treasury Building twice a week.  And, of course the main (perceived) reason that Post Office use has declined, being able to issue pensions and benefits. 

So, I look forward to hearing more about the future of the Post Office, and to knowing that their future is assured.  I will also make more use of the Write to Them website, as it enables you to contact your MP, MEP, local councillor and other representatives very easily.   I also pledge to use my local Post Office more often, to play my part in it's continued success.