Post Office could be owned by its postmasters, government says

Ownership of the Post Office could be put into the hands of its postmasters, the government has suggested, as it launched a public consultation over the future of the service.

The minister responsible, Gareth Thomas, said it was time for “a fresh vision” for the service, but said the government did not plan to reduce the number of branches.

The Post Office operates counters or shops in more than 11,500 locations around the country and is fully state-owned and subsidised by the taxpayer.

Plans for mutualisation have been under discussion for more than a decade, but were sidelined as the scandal around the wrongful conviction of sub-postmasters unfolded.

The government said it also wanted to transform the organisation’s culture in the wake of the…