Local campaigners against the closure of Paignton Post Office have today (Wednesday 9th April 2025) pledged to continue their campaign until a final decision is made on its future.
Their comments followed the Post Office announcing it is moving to a fully franchised network as part what it calls a ‘New Deal for Postmasters.’
The Post Office announcement means the last 108 Directly Managed Branches which are operated by the Post Office, including Paignton, will be franchised by the autumn. As a result, the Post Office will no longer directly run branches, although it states it will maintain its commitment to meeting the current requirement to have a minimum of 11,500 branches across the UK.
The 1,000 staff who work in the Post Offices affected, including Paignton, will be offered a choice of moving to work for any new owner of their branch or taking voluntary redundancy.
The Post Office expects most to be franchised in their existing locations, although it states some may move to locations “nearby”, yet no details of the plans for Paignton Post Office have been confirmed. The Post Office has indicated further details on proposals for individual branches, including Paignton, will be shared with local communities and “stakeholders” in the coming weeks.
The Post Office states it will work with franchise partners with “a clear track record of successfully running Post Office services”. Yet given the potential uncertainty around the future of WH Smith, whose high street operations including their Torquay & Paignton Branches were recently sold, it is unclear what this will mean in practice.
Kevin Foster said:
“This announcement still leaves many questions to be answered about the future of Paignton Post Office, especially for the dedicated staff who now face moving to a new employer or redundancy. Certainty is needed quickly for a much-valued service which lies at the heart of Paignton Town Centre.”
“The Post Office remains publicly owned, but these changes mean all Post Office counter services will, in future, be operated by the private sector.”
Over 800 people signed a petition organised by Peter Middleton and Kevin Foster.
Other Post Offices in Paignton, Torquay and Brixham are not affected by this announcement. They are mostly small businesses owned by a sub-postmaster who provides Post Office services. Campaigners are urging residents to continue supporting and using them, alongside the Paignton Crown Post Office.
Royal Mail’s Paignton delivery office, located next to Paignton Crown Post Office, is also not affected by this announcement.
