London Councils condemns ‘senseless’ cull of capital’s post offices 

Londoners are set to suffer the most from a proposed cull of post offices as the capital already has far fewer branches per head than the country as a whole, London Councils will warn today.

Giving evidence to the London Assembly on proposals by Royal Mail to close post offices across London, Councillor Merrick Cockell, Chairman of London Councils will warn that the plans will have a devastating impact on all Londoners.

London is already badly served by the Post Office with one branch for every 8,460 people compared to the national average of one branch for every 3,860.

London has been one of the hardest hit regions in two rounds of post office closures, with 490 post office closures in six years despite the fact it has some of the poorest areas and most vulnerable people living in its boroughs. If these new proposals to close another 171 post offices go ahead they will have a devastating impact on vulnerable Londoners as well as local shops and businesses.  Many of the most vulnerable people in London, those that cannot get access to bank accounts, rely on post offices to access cash and pay bills.