A front office for government

Modernising. Here to stay. Everywhere.

Make the Post Office your front office

Post Office currently delivers services on behalf of over 300 local councils, covering a wide range of applications and payments, both from and to residents and customers.

We recently won a significant contract with Westminster City Council, and are developing strategic relationships with 25 key councils to explore how to deliver local public services more efficiently.

We’re proud to serve every community, including those that are most deprived. Our extensive network can support local priorities and policies, becoming a front door to access local public services.

Our network - at the heart of every community

Post Office branches provide an unrivalled, trusted channel to the public – and using our branches to deliver services such as applications and payments can unlock significant savings for councils.

The Government has recognised the important role that Post Office branches play in our social and economic life, and has committed significant support for modernisation of the network - refurbished branches offering improved customer service including longer opening hours.

With 11,500 branches – more than the banks and building societies combined – we are at the heart of every community, offering an unrivalled channel between public organisations and citizens.

• The network of 11,500 branches will remain at around its current size – there will be no closure programme.
• 93% of adults live within 1 mile of a branch (99% within 3 miles)
• 92% of adults visited our branches within the last 12 months (78% last month)
• 20 million adults – half of the adult population – visited a branch last week
• All socio economic groups use us – 42% of those who visit weekly are ABC1
• Half of all small businesses use us every week

Our services

Post Office can support councils to deliver a wide range of local, services, including:

• Cash collection from residents – rents, business rates, council tax, parking fines, penalty charge notices, licence fees
• Payments to residents – asylum seekers, care leavers, school uniform vouchers, rebates
• Form checking – benefits, planning and concessionary travel applications
• Identity checking and verification – customer relationship management, enrolment, change in circumstances.

We can also support online applications.

The following examples highlight some of the innovative ways we are working to help councils deliver services.

In September 2011, Post Office signed a contract to provide through its branches a suite of managed services on behalf of Westminster City Council. The first two services to go live were parking penalty charge payments and applications for resident parking permits. Other services to be offerered through Post Office branches will be casual parking scratch cards, casual trader vouchers, ordering commercial waste bags and collection as well as Business rate and Council tax payment.

In November 2010, Sheffield City Council, Post Office and the National Federation of Subpostmasters began a pilot to make Post Office branches a front office of Government and public services across the city. Building on the 700,000 transactions Post Office already carries out on behalf of the council, the pilot was designed to improve access to local public services through Post Offices whilst increasing Post Office sustainability. We are currently evaluating the pilot and early findings are positive. We’ll publish the full results here.

More information

Download the Government’s Post Office policy framework

If you have a question, would like to discuss your requirements, or would like to receive regular updates, email the Front Office for Government team at government@postoffice.co.uk and we’ll get back you.