BEIS0001157
BEISO001157
OFFICIAL SENSITIVE
PS Oliver Page
Meeting with Officials: update on the Post Office, 8N,
3pm to 3:45pm, Thursday 27" February 2020.
Purpose
An update meeting with officials on the Post Office
Attendees
Carl Creswell, Director — Professional Business Services, Retail and Post Office
Tom Cooper, Director, UKGI
Alex Cole, Assistant Director, UKGI,
Beth White, Deputy Director — Post Office and Sectors Briefing Hub (by phone X63950)
Agenda Item:
Discussion
Litigation
We will update including on how POL are implementing their commitments
in the settlement, further changes to their legal team and renewed
parliamentary interest focusing on how POL will be held to account. The
Chairs Letter is a key element of setting BEIS expectations of POL reporting
to BEIS on the ongoing actions.
Company Strategy and 5
Year Plan.
Key POL has presented headlines from its Purpose, Strategy, Growth review
and an initial financial plan covering the Spending Review period. We are
commissioning consultancy support to test their plan and expect
negotiations to be tough.
Long-Term Vision
We will be testing with Minister Scully our draft long-term vision, which will
be our focus for ensuring POL’s SR Bid delivers on Government's
expectations for the Post Office. We will also be looking to adapt this in time
to reflect the changing environment the Post Office operates in. Draft
statement at Annex
Preparation for your
forthcoming meeting with
Nick Read on 12 March
Please see attached org chart
BEIS0001157
BEISO001157
OFFICIAL SENSITIVE
Annex
Draft Long-term vision statement:
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.
* Ensuring its services continue to be easily accessible to all consumers, but
particularly vulnerable groups who rely on them the most.
* 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.