Momentum grows in Post Bank campaign

A coalition of groups pressing for the move said 240 post offices had gone out of business in the 18 months to last October outside the national programme of closures, proving that the Government’s policy was “failing”.

A report warned that without a Post Bank, the network of offices faced a “long decline”, and an opportunity to create a socially useful bank would be lost.

Billy Hayes, leader of the Communication Workers Union, said: “Post Bank offers an opportunity to solve two major issues facing the country – saving our post office network and bringing trusted banking to communities everywhere.

“This is a gift to the Government, an all-round good news story and an initiative which would bring real, measurable positive change to Post Office staff who are fearing for their jobs and to businesses and communities struggling to find suitable local banking.

“We urge the Government to embrace Post Bank and take measures to make it a reality.”

Clive Davenport, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: “Following the crisis in the banking sector and with the demise of the post office network, we have long been saying that creating a Post Bank is the perfect opportunity to help tackle these.

“We know from our research that small businesses rely on their local post office to not only send and receive parcels, but to make payments as well. We also know that banks still aren’t lending to small firms. The UK banking system really needs more competition to give small firms a better chance of securing a good deal.

“Creating a Post Bank will not only help to do this, but it will also help keep the thousands of sub-postmasters’ businesses alive.”

Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners Convention, said: “Creating a real people’s bank at the Post Office would act as a positive alternative to the stale banking industry that has caused so much financial damage. We need a bank we can trust and that’s the Post Bank.”

Ian Tonks, national officer of Unite, added: “Communities and small businesses are crying out for an ethical and local bank based on the post office network. This is the only real answer to making the post office network truly sustainable.”