£20m cash boost for rural post offices announced

Rural post offices in Northern Ireland are set to receive more than £6.9 million-a-year for the next three years, in the largest ever government support package for this vital community service.

The money is part of a £450 million national fund to safeguard the future of thousands of rural post offices, which was unveiled by the government today. The fund will be divided into £150 million bundles for each of the next three years.

Welcoming the announcement, NIO direct rule minister, Ian Pearson, said: “This is tremendous news as the funding will help Northern Ireland’s 400 rural post offices to continue to provide access to services in their areas and protect many jobs which are vital to the rural economy.

“The local post office is at the centre of community life, where in many instances it often serves also as convenience store, offering a wide range of products. One million people transact business at a post office in Northern Ireland each week, and as two-thirds of all post offices here are classified as rural, this announcement will be widely welcomed.

“This funding demonstrates the commitment of this government to the preservation of the rural post office and the wider rural community network.”

The funding will be administered by Post Office Ltd under contract to the government. In return for the funding Post Office Ltd will be required to maintain the rural network, and prevent all avoidable closures.

Secretary of State for Trade & Industry, Patricia Hewitt said: “Post offices play a vital role in many rural communities in Northern Ireland. They are much more than simply providers of mail services. In many places the post office is also the village shop, the local community centre, the business exchange and the bank.

“This multi-million pound package shows our commitment to the rural post office network across Northern Ireland. The money announced today will help to ensure that the village post office remains firmly at the heart of the community.”

There are 402 rural post offices in Northern Ireland out of a total of 8,645 rural post offices in the UK as of March this year.

(GMcG)