MORE than 100 Post Office branches are at risk of closure as a major overhaul has been announced.

The Post Office is looking to close 115 directly-owned Crown Post Offices, across the country, putting 1,000 jobs at risk.

They have also confirmed hundreds of jobs at their headquarters are under threat as they look to streamline operations.

Thee three sites in the West Midlands at risk of being closed are:

  • Pinfold Street, Birmingham City Centre
  • Willow Street, Oswestry, Shropshire
  • Alcester Street, Redditch

A Post Office spokesman said: “We are considering a range of options to reduce our central costs.

“This includes considering the future of our remaining directly managed branches (DMBs), which are loss-making.

“We have had 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.”

The plans could see some of the Post Offices on the list be taken over by independent postmasters or retail partners such as WH Smith or Tesco, which would save them from closure. 

The overhaul comes as the Post Office looks to boost postmaster pay by £250 million over five years.

Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said the shake-up will offer a “new deal for postmasters” by increasing their share of revenue and giving them a greater say in the running of the business as it looks to move on from the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongfully convicted.

The plans, which are subject to government funding, would see average branch pay doubled by 2030, with £120 million in additional pay by the end of the first year.

He said: “The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and today we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters.

“We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.”

He added the overhaul also “begins a new phase of partnership during which we will strengthen the postmaster voice in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the frontline to the boardroom.”

It follows a strategic review launched by Mr Railton in May, but is reliant on funding talks with government, which the Post Office said were “positive and ongoing”.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) union called on the Post Office to halt the plans and for the Government to intervene.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “For the company to announce the closure of hundreds of Post Offices hot on the heels of the Horizon scandal is as tone deaf as it is immoral.

“CWU members are victims of the Horizon scandal – and for them to now fear for their jobs ahead of Christmas is yet another cruel attack.”

So far, the plans have been met with backlash from residents in affected areas.

The MP for North Shropshire, Helen Morgan, has launched a petition to save Oswestry Post Office, which has received over 1,000 signatures in under 24 hours.

Chris Bloore, MP for Redditch and the Villages, has voiced his concerns about the plans on social media, saying on Facebook that the Redditch Post Office is a “vital lifeline” for the community.