THE sub-postmaster at a West Belfast post office has called for greater support for local branches as they face financial difficulties.
Jim McCafferty from the Kennedy Centre Post Office, who also sits as a non-executive director of the National Federation of Subpostmasters (NFSP), has urged people to write to their local MPs to highlight the issues being faced.
“Two issues facing postmasters need to be urgently reviewed,” he said. “Firstly post offices’ energy bills are set to increase up to four or five times. This is unsustainable and it is vital that we work together to ensure that government takes action to support postmasters and their post offices.
“The NFSP is urgently calling for the Energy Relief Scheme to be extended beyond March 2023, otherwise post offices face severe hardship.
“The second issue currently viewed as a threat to the network, is in line with limits set by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), banks are reducing cash deposits at post offices.
“This means that small businesses and personal banking customers must go to their local bank branch to pay in larger deposits of cash. The danger is that with fewer banks on the high street, businesses will be forced to stop accepting cash from their customers because they cannot safely deposit it at their local post office.
“Millions of people across the UK do not have access to card or contactless payments. They need cash to pay for life’s essentials including food and energy.
“Post offices are paid for every banking transaction. If limits are imposed this will negatively impact on the payments to postmasters, which could result in significant financial costs, threatening the viability of their post offices.
“Already 87 per cent of NFSP members have been negatively impacted by these banking changes.”
Jim also pointed to recent changes which saw the Post Office Cash Card scrapped and people’s benefits paid into bank accounts.
“We thought that transition would have kept Post Offices going but what we have seen is that as people were compelled to transfer over to a bank account, they were using a cash machine or paying by card in shops and not coming into the post office.”
West Belfast MP Paul Maskey said that there is no doubt that local post offices are under pressure.
“Post offices are the hub of the community and the services they provide are invaluable,” he said. “We were given assurances when bank services were introduced to the Post Office that all customers would be able to access their services.
“A limit has been put on that which is causing angst among post offices, so I have met with some of the banks and hope to meet further banks in the time ahead.
“Some of the banks want this service to continue so it is clear that the FCA are putting pressure on them. I hope that we can progress towards a solution to the problem being faced by the Post Office, but it is clear to me that the services they provide is invaluable.”
Mr Maskey said that he passes the Kennedy Centre Post Office daily and that it is a busy hub for the local people.
“Branches like this one are creating jobs for local people and so it is very important that government support and put more services into our post offices without the restrictions so that they can afford to stay open,” he continued. “I met with sup-postmasters including Jim and heard the horror stories of what they are having to do to stay afloat which is not fair.
“The government need to allow more people to come into the post office. We need to see the introduction of services such as buying a dog license for example so that people don’t have to go elsewhere.
“If our post offices are utilised in the way that they should be, then they will flourish and create more jobs within our community.”
