Post office closures hit estates

People living in housing estates surrounding cities are some of those worst hit by post office closures, according to the BBC.

A new report by the National Consumer Council said that the closures had reduced services that are already scarce in these areas.

The report found post offices were crucial for residents who are often on low incomes or unemployed.

It said those most reliant on them, such as the elderly, were least able to lobby for post offices to stay open.

The impact was felt particularly badly in estates on the outskirts of towns, because there was also a dearth of basic services such as banks and supermarkets.

Professor Richard Webber of University College London, who analysed the findings, said: "At a national level, Post Office Ltd has worked with sub-postmasters' preferences to decide which post offices should be closed.

"However, in practice, a consistent pattern is not easy to discern.

"Some neighbourhoods of acute social need do not seem to have benefited from protection and the closure rate is very uneven between similar areas, as well as across different regions of the country."

Nicola O'Reilly, of the National Consumer Council, said: "Protecting vulnerable communities from the impact of post office closures is no simple task.

"People are as important as places in these decisions. It's vital that plans for the next 2,500 closures protect the people who would be hardest hit."