Mutualisation of the Post Office
The Government believes that a mutually owned Post Office Ltd could be ideally suited to the economic and social role that post offices play in communities up and down the country.
The current organisational structure aligns poorly the interests of different stakeholders, and we believe that the commitment of the key stakeholders to the future of the post office network would be better harnessed within a mutual structure. The Postal Services Act 2011 contains provision for Post Office Ltd either to remain entirely owned by the Crown or become mutualised. The legislation is clear that Post Office Ltd could not become privately owned.
The Act sets out a framework for how the company could be mutualised, and puts certain protections in place; however, we will be working with Post Office Ltd's stakeholders and the wider public to determine the details of how mutualisation should work in practice.
As a first step, we asked the experts – Co-operatives UK – to produce a report on options for Post Office mutualisation. Their report - Mutual options for Post Office Ltd - was published on 18 May 2011.
On the 19 September 2011 we then launched a public consultation to move towards an agreed model for a mutual Post Office. The consultation closed on the 12 December 2011. The Government will publish its response to this consultation in spring 2012.
