The UK government is removing DVLA services from the Post Office network that will impact millions of customers.
As chair of the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Post Offices, my clear message to the UK Government is that this decision is unacceptable. The Tory administration in Westminster has previously said that post offices would be the ‘front office’ of government in communities across the UK, yet this action is the opposite of that.
Post offices are vital in providing access to cash and face to face services for elderly people, people with a disability or those who have no online access. We have seen unprecedented financial pressures on sub-post offices through Covid and the cost-of-living crisis.
They need UK government support for the 50,000 equivalent full-time jobs they maintain. They are vital for people who need to use cash, and they provide a vital community hub for our high streets in these trying economic times. Latest research shows that the use of cash has actually increased, which may be as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.
Post offices provide this, and the UK government should be supporting that, not undermining it. The National Federation of SubPostmasters has a comprehensive and compelling case.
Now the UK government must listen and reverse this incredible decision.