Elmsett to lose Post Office in dispute over pay
The current Postmasters say a lack of support from the Post Office is putting the village shop at risk
Last updated 26th Sep 2023
A Suffolk village is set to lose its Post Office later this year amid a dispute over payments.
The owners of the Village Store in Elmsett, near Hadleigh, say rising costs and a lack of financial support from the Post Office has led to the decision to shutter the service in November.
In a statement on social media, the managers of the store wrote: "This has not been an easy decision, however given the increased energy, insurance and staffing costs, we cannot continue to subsidise the Post Office."
"If we did it would bankrupt the shop."
"We've fought hard, but the Post Office Limited, our local MP, and the UK Government (who retain 100% shareholding of the POL) have provided no support."
It's understood a subsidy handed to Postmasters to help them run the service has recently been cut by the Post Office.
As it stands, the final day of trading for the Post Office in Elmsett will be November 3rd, although the village shop will continue to operate as normal.
A Post Office spokesperson said: “As with other high street retailers, Post Offices are facing a particularly challenging period.
"The Postmaster for Elmsett Post Office has resigned, however, details are not yet finalised and we will continue to work very closely with the Postmaster to try to retain the service for the community.”
“This year improvements have been made to the remuneration rates for Postmasters including increases to banking remuneration and inflation linked increases for parcels and stamps.
"Post Office Area Managers regularly discuss ways to improve the efficiency of a business with postmasters to help reduce overheads and boost business.
"We are currently discussing some options with the postmaster which may benefit the branch.”