Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what guidance his Department provides to Post Office Ltd on public consultation and communication with local communities ahead of planned branch closures.

Public consultation and communication with local communities ahead of planned branch closures is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd and Government does not provide guidance on this matter.

Post Office is committed to consulting on any proposed branch changes as set out in the ‘Principles of Community Engagement’, which is published on Post Office’s website. These are a set of guidelines agreed with the statutory consumer advocacy bodies – Citizens Advice, Consumer Scotland and the Consumer Council Northern Ireland. These consultations focus on customers’ access to Post Office products following any proposed change.