Post Office should be mutualised, says think tank
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A new report by Mutuo, a mutuals think tank, is supporting the mutualisation of the Post Office.
The new report, entitled Post Office: Made Mutual, supports measures set out in the government’s Postal Services Bill which advocates the transfer of Post Office to a mutual organisation.
The report welcomes this radical new approach to public services but says it is clear that before the Post Office can be transferred to any different corporate body, it must first pass the test as a sustainable business.
Mutuo argues that in future public ownership is likely to be delivered through mutual organisations with their varied range of stakeholders and their inherent focus on the service-user.
It says under such a model the energy, skills and enthusiasm of employees, sub-postmasters, multiple operators and communities could be captured to help drive the business of the Post Office forward.
Peter Hunt, chief executive of Mutuo, says: “The Post Office is a much cherished part of British Society. If the future of POL is as a mutual then the development of its business needs to be built around the co-operative business model, driven by the incentives, opportunities and accountability structures which such a model can bring.
“It needs to capture the interest of its key stakeholders, and harness their commitment and drive to take forward the business that will continue to provide services for the public benefit. For those reasons the objective to create a mutual Post Office should have cross-party support.”
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