The Government has launched a wide-ranging review into the future of the Post Office, considering a shift to a mutual ownership model in the aftermath of the Horizon IT scandal.
This proposal, now open to public consultation for three months, could see thousands of subpostmasters become part-owners of the business.
It is the first major review of the Post Office in 15 years, aiming to gather views from customers and staff on how the service should be run. Alongside this, a new £118 million subsidy package has been announced to support improvements and modernisation.
Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said a “fresh vision” is needed, highlighting the importance of learning from recent failures.
Chief executive Neil Brocklehurst described the consultation as a “once-in-a-decade opportunity” to reshape the Post Office’s role in communities across the country and invited input from the public to help define its future direction.