{"id":67165,"date":"2025-09-18T11:17:41","date_gmt":"2025-09-18T10:17:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/?p=67165"},"modified":"2025-09-19T10:14:02","modified_gmt":"2025-09-19T09:14:02","slug":"devon-county-council-encourages-public-and-community-groups-to-respond-to-government-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-post-office","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.devon.gov.uk\/news\/devon-county-council-encourages-public-and-community-groups-to-respond-to-government-consultation-on-the-future-of-the-post-office\/","title":{"rendered":"Devon County Council encourages public and community groups to respond to government consultation on the Future of the Post Office"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong>The UK Government has launched a major public consultation to shape the future of the Post Office, marking the first comprehensive review of the network in over 15 years.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, our Cabinet Member for rural affairs says the consultation represents a vital opportunity for Devon residents to influence what the post office network looks like in future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She\u2019s urging the public, businesses, community organisations and of course postmasters, to share their views before the government\u2019s deadline of Monday 6 October. 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The consultation looks at how Post Offices can:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Offer better services for people who still need face-to-face help<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Make sure every community has access to a local branch<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Possibly change ownership so that postmasters have more control<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Improve how the Post Office is run, especially after problems like the Horizon scandal<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stay financially strong, with \u00a3500 million already promised to support improvements<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p><br><\/p>\n\n\n<div id=\"block_acf-block-68cbdc453cb49\" class=\"councillor-quote align-right dcc grid-x\">\r\n\t<blockquote class=\"councillor-quote-blockquote medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n                    <div class=\"councillor-quote-title\"><p>Councillor Cottle-Hunkin said:<\/p><\/div>\r\n        \t\t<div class=\"councillor-quote-text\"><p>\u201cPost Offices are a key part of the fabric of Devon\u2019s Communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI am disappointed that so many rural communities have lost access to a local Post Office, and clearly the services in many Devon towns are under threat.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI have read the Green Paper with interest and will be ensuring the Council\u2019s formal response to it highlights the vital importance that the Post Office service holds for Devon\u2019s rural communities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDevon is leading the way in developing innovative responses to the rural challenges we face.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cMy colleague, Cllr Stuart Rogers, local Member for Ashburton and Buckfastleigh, and local postmaster in Ashburton, has pioneered a mobile outreach Post Office for communities around the town.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThat service is providing an important social connection and support for people far beyond the Post Office service itself.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cCouncillor Rogers is also working with Libraries Unlimited to provide books as part of his service.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI encourage all Devon residents to share their views, and to help shape the future of the post office service in Devon.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\r\n\t<\/blockquote>\r\n        <div class=\"councillor-quote-aside medium-auto small-12 cell\">\r\n\t<figure class=\"councillor-quote-image grid-x\">\r\n\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" class=\"small-6 cell medium-12\" src=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/UserData\/3\/9\/5\/Info00011593\/bigpic.jpg\" alt=\"Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin\" loading=\"lazy\" \/>\r\n        <figcaption class=\"councillor-quote-description small-6 cell medium-12\" >\r\n                        <a href=\"https:\/\/democracy.devon.gov.uk\/mgUserInfo.aspx?UID=11593\" rel=\"noopener\">Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs and Broadband<\/a><\/figcaption>\r\n            <\/figure>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    \r\n    <\/div>\n\n\n<p>For information about how to respond to the consultation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.uk\/government\/consultations\/green-paper-future-of-post-office\/green-paper-future-of-post-office\" rel=\"noopener\">visit the government&#8217;s website.<\/a> \u00a0Responses must be submitted by 11:59pm on Monday 6 October 2025.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":34,"featured_media":67166,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[34],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-67165","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-community"],"acf":[],"featured_image":{"ID":67166,"title":"support for post offices. 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