BEIS0001156 - Draft - The Government’s Vision for the Post Office

Evidence on official site

BEIS0001156

BEISO001156

OFFICIAL SENSITIVE
NOT GOVERNMENT POLICY
February 2020

DRAFT: The Government’s Vision for the Post Office

Post Office Ltd is a Government-owned, commercially-focused business with a strong social
purpose.

Through its extensive and accessible network of branches the Post Office delivers essential
services that are hugely valuable - to both individuals and SME businesses — in urban and
rural areas across the UK. These include mail, parcels, cash, basic banking, utility bill
payment facilities and Government and public services.

The Post Office must continue to grow a thriving commercial business together with delivery
of its social purpose. The building blocks of the Post Office’s social purpose are:

¢ Delivering a convenient and trusted local service offer that
meets customers’ needs, working closely with Postmasters who play an important
role in their local communities.

e Ensuring its services continue to be easily accessible to all consumers, but
particularly vulnerable groups who rely on them the most.

e Supporting the Government’s access to cash and financial
inclusion agenda by ensuring that basic cash and banking services are available
throughout the network to meet the needs of individual customers and SMEs.

Delivering these services enables the Post Office to also contribute to the Government's
broader social and economic priorities, locally and nationally. The Post Office has a key role
to play in high streets across the UK, helping keep town centres vibrant and playing a role in
levelling up communities throughout the country.

Consumer use has and will continue to change over time. The Post Office will need to
continually adapt its services so that these meet the needs of its diverse customer base.

The Government assesses the Post Office’s delivery of its Social Purpose through its
ongoing role as the company’s sole shareholder.