Post Offices: Finance
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes in remuneration for Royal Mail parcel transactions on the viability of rural Post Office branches.
Answered by Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade
Post Office Ltd operates at arm’s length from Government and is responsible for its own operational matters, including commercial agreements with partners and remuneration for specific services.
Government is, however, providing funding to Post Office to help deliver its Transformation Plan, including up to £483 million in FY 2026/27 and 2027/28. The savings created by that plan will help put Post Office in a stronger position to increase remuneration for postmasters across the UK. While there is more to do, it is encouraging that between December 2024 and April 2026, Post Office increased postmaster remuneration by £92 million.
To ensure service access for rural and other communities, we will continue to monitor Post Office's performance against Government-set network requirements. These requirements mean, for instance, that 99% of the population must live within three miles of a post office.
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