Post Office could be owned by its workers, government says

The Post Office could be turned into an employee-owned business, the government has suggested, as it launched a public consultation over the future of the service.

The business, which operates counters or shops in more than 11,500 locations around the country, is fully state-owned and subsidised by the tax payer.

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

"It's clear we need a fresh vision," said Post Office Minister, Gareth Thomas, launching a Green Paper on the service's future.

The government said it wanted to transform the organisation's culture in the wake of the scandal which saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly accused of false accounting and theft at the branches they were running on the basis of data from faulty software.

The consultation will run for 12 weeks and be the "start of an honest conversation about what people want and need from their Post Office in the years ahead", the minister said.

It will look at how to meet changing consumer needs while also strengthening the relationship between the business and its postmasters.

Mr Thomas also announced a further £118m to support the work already underway to deliver changes in the Post Office.

The Green Paper puts proposals such as changing the Post Office's ownership model back on the table, providing and opportunity for staff, taxpayers and other stakeholders to share their views, before the government draws up its strategy.