No decision made on future of Kirkwall Post Office

No decision has been made on the fate of the Kirkwall Post Office, or that of the other 115 branches at risk of closure.

This has been welcomed by Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, but he warned that consultations on the future of such branches must include customers and the wider community.

It has been reported that up to 115 Post Office branches (the directly-owned Crown Post Offices) could be sold to third parties or closed.

The government-owned Post Office has 11,500 branches across the UK, most of which are franchises, with 115 Crown Post Offices, of which one is in Kirkwall.

Mr Carmichael spoke during a ministerial statement in Parliament on the Post Office, which stated that “no decisions to close any or all of the remaining directly managed branches have been taken” and announced plans to “significantly increase postmaster remuneration”.

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said: “It’s welcome that — notwithstanding what’s in the press today — no decisions have been made, but it would be very reassuring to the people who rely on post offices, and the staff who work in them, like in Kirkwall which is on the list of those to be considered for closure, to be told when that decision is going to be made.”

In a statement, the Post Office said they were considering a range of options to reduce costs and they have long held a publicly-stated ambition to move to a fully franchised network.