The Post Office has declared an “out-on-out war” on cash users across Britain following its recent announcement that over 100 of its branches have been earmarked for closure, according to campaigners.
Amid the recent wave of bank branch closures, the state-owned postal company confirmed that 115 of its sites are at risk of shutting down for good in a move that could impact 1,000 jobs.
With the move to contactless payments and online banking, Britons have become increasingly concerned about the dwindling access to cash services on UK high streets.
As of May 2024, more than 6,000 bank branches have shut down for good since 2015, according to research conducted by consumer champion Which? Among the most guilty for slashing their branch network include NatWest Group, Lloyds Banking Group and Barclays.
In its most recent announcement, it appears the Post Office looks set to follow suit with over 100 crown branches facing the axe. Crown branches are directly owned by the Post Office.
Speaking exclusively to GB News, Martin Quinn, the director of Campaign for Cash, urged the institution to stop its branch closure plan as soon as possible to protect cash access for the country’s most vulnerable communities.
Have you been impacted by Post Office branch closures? Get in touch by emailing [email protected].
Post Office branches could lose across the country in a move that has concerned about peoples’ access to cash
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He shared: “It seems to me there is an out-on-out war on cash users in the UK and cash users are paying a heavy price for the Horizon scandal. It is catastrophic for access to cash services between losing bank branches, ATMs shutting down.
“The Government needs to tell the Post Office to immediately halt the branch closure programme. To be honest, the Post Office is the last man standing when it comes to access to cash. The fact they are shutting over 100 branches to cover the Horizon scandal loss, that’s the bottom line.”
More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted for stealing due to incorrect accounting and stockholding information from the Horizon computer system. Over many years, the Post Office took many cases to court with 700 individuals being prosecuted between 1999 and 2015.
The Post Office itself took many cases to court, prosecuting 700 people between 1999 and 2015. Another 283 cases were brought by other bodies, including the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). By March 2025, the Post Office estimates it will have paid more than £650million in Horizon claims to victims.
Campaigners are calling on the Post Office to halt plans for any potential closures “immediately”
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As part of the plans being drawn up, it is understood that ministers are looking into passing over ownership of the network to thousands of sub-postmasters nationwide. The planned overhaul of the Post Office is reportedly being done to ensure the organisation gets on a better financial footing after recent losses.
However, Campaign for Cash’s campaign director is concerned over the long-term sustainability of this model with many sub-Post Offices being listed for likely closure with rural communities being more at risk of being impacted.
“Sub-Post Offices cannot cope with what is needed. To give you an example, a lot of these offices will be in rural areas. Some are only open for about five hours a week,” Quinn added.
“Main Post Offices branches, they are open longer and have more staff. Also, they cover more services. Whichever way you cut it, it’s a disaster. The Post Office network should be treated as national infrastructure. The Labour Government needs to get a grip on this situation.”
Customers living in the country and in small towns are not the only Post Office users who are being warned about the likely detrimental consequences of branch closures. Those living in cities are being urged to check their
Within walking distance of Parliament, 10 crown branches in the Cities of London and Westminster constituency have been identified as part of the Post Office’s strategic review.
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The Labour MP for Cities of London and Westminster has called for branches to be “preserved and encouraged”
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Rachel Blake MP, who represents the constituency, spoke to GB News about the great loss Post Office closures will have on her constituents and why the service should be “preserved”.
The Labour MP explained: “They [branches] provide essential face-to-face services for many local businesses and residents, including cash, banking, and financial services.
“This will be worrying to many residents who rely on these services, particularly businesses in the area as well as older residents who don’t use online banking, those who speak English as a second language and those with disabilities who may have difficulties interfacing with online systems. They have a role in creating and supporting resilient communities – this is something we should preserve and encourage.”
A Post Office spokesperson told GB News: “We are considering a range of options to reduce our central costs. This includes considering the future of our remaining Directly Managed Branches, which are loss-making. We have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network and we are in dialogue with the unions about future options for the DMBs.”
“Please be aware that we have made not made any announcement about any branch closure. There is a list circulating of Directly Managed Branches that the Unions have claimed are closing, however, we have not made any announcement.
“For background In the past we had more Directly Managed branches and we wanted more franchising. These were then taken over by independent postmasters or partners e.g. WHSmith, Co-op, Morrisons, so they changed hands, but did not close, except in extremely rare cases.”