Exact locations of Greater Manchester Post Office closures
Eight Post Office branches in Greater Manchester are among more than 100 across the country are at risk of closure. Bosses are looking to offload 115 directly-owned Crown Post Offices in the 11,500 branch network, which could see them transferred to retail partners or postmasters, or potentially closed.
Of the affected branches, eight are in Greater Manchester. They are in Barnes Green, Harpurhey, north Manchester; Didsbury village, Manchester; Eccles, Salford; Hyde, Tameside; Leight, Wigan; Prestwich, Bury; Stockport town centre; and Salford precinct. A total of 40 are in London - just over a third of the remaining Crown Post Offices.
READ MORE: More than 100 Post Office branches face closure across the UK
Around 1,000 workers are employed across the branches, while the Post Office also confirmed that hundreds of further roles are under threat at its headquarters as it looks to streamline back-office operations.
You can see the branches at risk of closure using our interactive map below...
Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said the shake-up will offer a “new deal for postmasters” by increasing their share of revenue and giving them a greater say in the running of the business as it looks to move on from the Horizon IT scandal that saw hundreds of subpostmasters wrongfully convicted.
The plans, which are subject to government funding, would see average branch pay doubled by 2030, with £120 million in additional pay by the end of the first year.
In an announcement to postmasters and staff on Wednesday, Mr Railton said: “The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service, and today we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters.
“We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.” He added the overhaul also “begins a new phase of partnership during which we will strengthen the postmaster voice in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the frontline to the boardroom”.
It follows a strategic review launched by Mr Railton in May, but is reliant on funding talks with government, which the Post Office said were “positive and ongoing”.
The government is also said to have been consulted on the possibility of handing ownership of the network to thousands of subpostmasters across the country.
The 115 branches put at risk are are Crown Post Offices located in city centres and staffed by Post Office employees. They are the only remaining branches directly owned by the Post Office, down from close to 400 in 2010.
However, the Communication Workers Union (CWU) union called on the Post Office to halt the plans and on the government to intervene.
CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “For the company to announce the closure of hundreds of Post Offices hot on the heels of the Horizon scandal is as tone deaf as it is immoral.
“CWU members are victims of the Horizon scandal – and for them to now fear for their jobs ahead of Christmas is yet another cruel attack.”
The Post Office insisted that it aims to franchise the branches or transfer ownership to other parties, such as its network of retail partners.
Retailers such as WH Smith, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-Op operate around 2,000 Post Offices across the country. The rest of the network – about 9,000 Post Offices – are operated by independent postmasters.
As part of the transformation, the Post Office is also setting up a new postmaster panel to increase support and training and a consultative council “to ensure postmasters’ interests remain front and centre”.
A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: “Post Offices are an integral part of the communities they serve and the services they provide for local people.
“The Government is in active discussion with Nigel Railton on his plans to put postmasters at the centre of the organisation and strengthen the Post Office network for its long-term future.”
A public inquiry remains ongoing into the Horizon IT scandal, which involved hundreds of subpostmasters who were wrongly convicted of stealing after the company’s defective accounting system made it appear as though money was missing from their branches.
Full list of Crown Post Office branches under threat...
Greater Manchester
Barnes Green, (Lee Road), Manchester - M9 4DL
Didsbury Village, (Albert Hill Street), Manchester - M20 6RJ
Eccles (63 Church Street), Salford - M30 0NS
Hyde, (30-32 Market Place), Tameside - SK14 2QU
Leigh, (17 Silk Street), Wigan - WN7 1AA
Stockport, (36-40 Great Underbank), Stockport - SK1 1QF
Prestwich, (2 Kingswood Road), Bury - M25 3NS
Salford City, (112 Rossall Way) Salford - M6 5DS
Rest of UK
Aldwych, Westminster, London - WC2B 4JN
Antrim, Antrim and Newtownabbey, Northern Ireland - BT41 4AR
Baker Street, Westminster, London - W1U 6SG
Bangor, Gwynedd, Wales - LL57 1PB
Barnet, London - EN5 5UU
Belfast City, Northern Ireland - BT1 1LT
Bexhill-On-Sea, Rother, South East - TN40 1AA
Bideford, Torridge, South West - EX39 2EX
Birmingham, West Midlands - B2 4AA
Bransholme, Kingston upon Hull, Yorkshire and The Humber - HU7 4JF
Breck Road, Liverpool, North West - L5 6SW
Bridlington, East Riding of Yorkshire, Yorkshire and The Humber - YO15 2AA
Brixton, Lambeth, London - SW9 8FR
Broadway, Westminster, London - SW1H 0AX
Caernarfon, Gwynedd, Wales - LL55 2ND
Cambridge City, East of England - CB2 3BZ
Canning Town, Newham, London - E16 1HF
Chester-Le-Street, County Durham, North East - DH3 3AA
The City of London, London - EC3M 1AJ
Clapham Common, Lambeth, London - SW4 7ST
Cosham, Portsmouth, South East - PO6 3EH
Cricklewood, Brent, London - NW2 3HR
Crossgates, Fife, Scotland - KY4 8AJ
Croydon High Street, Croydon, London - CR9 1HT
Dereham, Breckland, East of England - NR19 2AA
Dunraven Place, Bridgend, Wales - CF31 1AB
East Dulwich, Southwark, London - SE22 8HH
Eccleston Street, Westminster, London - SW1W 9LS
Edinburgh City, Scotland - EH1 1BQ
Furness House, Westmorland and Furness, North West - LA14 1LE
Glasgow, Scotland - G1 2RD
Gloucester, South West - GL1 1AD
Golders Green, Barnet, London - NW11 8RT
Great Portland Street, Westminster, London - W1W 7NE
Grimsby, North East Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and The Humber - DN31 1AA
Haddington, East Lothian, Scotland - EH41 3UU
Hampstead, Camden, London - NW3 1QL
Harlesden, Brent, London - NW10 4RU
Harold Hill, Havering, London - RM3 8EJ
High Holborn, Camden, London - WC1V 7RL
Houndsditch, City of London, London - E1 7BS
Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire, - IV1 1AX
Islington, London - N1 1US
Kendal, Westmorland and Furness, North West - LA9 4AA
Kennington Park, Lambeth, London - SE11 4QA
Kensington, Kensington and Chelsea, London - W8 7RG
Kettering, North Northamptonshire, East Midlands - NN16 8AA
Kilburn, Camden, London - NW6 6JG
Kingsbury, Brent, London - NW9 9DU
Kingsland High Street, Hackney, London - E8 2NX
Kirkwall, Orkney Islands, Scotland - KW15 1DD
Knightsbridge, Westminster, London - SW7 1DL
Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire, East of England - LU7 1AA
Liskeard, Cornwall, South West - PL14 6AA
London Bridge, Southwark, London - SE1 9SF
Londonderry, Derry City and Strabane, Northern Ireland - BT48 6AA
Lower Edmonton, Enfield, London - N9 0TX
Lupus Street, Westminster, London - SW1V 3EW
Matlock, Derbyshire Dales, East Midlands - DE4 3AA
Melville Road, Brighton and Hove, South East - BN3 1UB
Merthyr Tydfil, Merthyr Tydfil, Wales - CF47 0AB
Milton Keynes, Milton Keynes, South East - MK9 3QA
Morecambe, Lancaster, North West - LA4 4AA
Morley, Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber - LS27 8TB
Mount Pleasant, Islington, London - EC1R 4SQ
Mutley, Plymouth, South West - PL4 6LL
Nailsea, North Somerset, South West - BS48 1RA
Newquay, Cornwall, South West - TR7 1BU
Newtownards, Ards and North Down, Northern Ireland - BT23 4FA
Northolt, Ealing, London - UB5 5AA
Old Swan, Liverpool, North West - L13 3BU
Oswestry, Shropshire, West Midlands - SY11 1AG
Oxford, South East - OX1 1ZZ
Paddington Quay, Westminster, London - W2 1JX
Paignton, Torbay, South West - TQ3 3EX
Port Talbot, Neath Port Talbot, Wales - SA13 1NG
Portsmouth, South East - PO1 1AB
Poulton-Le-Fylde, Wyre, North West - FY6 7BB
Raynes Park, Merton, London - SW20 0LL
Redditch, Redditch, West Midlands - B98 8AB
Roman Road, Tower Hamlets, London - E2 0RX
Romsey, Test Valley, South East - SO51 8WA
Rotherham, Rotherham, Yorkshire and The Humber - S60 1PJ
Saltcoats, North Ayrshire, Scotland - KA21 5EX
Sheffield City, Sheffield, Yorkshire and The Humber - S1 2AX
South Ockendon, Thurrock, East of England - RM15 5EB
South Shields, South Tyneside, North East - NE33 1HT
Southall, Ealing, London - UB1 1PY
Springburn Way, Glasgow City, Scotland - G21 1BU
St Johns, Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber - LS2 8LP
St Peters Street, St Albans, East of England - AL1 3AA
Stamford, South Kesteven, East Midlands - PE9 2EY
Stamford Hill, Hackney, London - N16 6TW
Stornoway, Na h-Eileanan Siar, Scotland - HS1 2AD
Stroud, Stroud, South West - GL5 3AA
Sunderland City, Sunderland, North East - SR1 1RR
Teignmouth, Teignbridge, South West - TQ14 8AA
The Markets, Leeds, Yorkshire and The Humber - LS2 7DZ
Vauxhall Bridge Road, Westminster, London - SW1V 2ST
Wealdstone, Harrow, London - HA3 5QL
Westbourne, Bournemouth, Bournemouth 023A - BH4 9AW
Wester Hailes, City of Edinburgh, Scotland - EH14 2SW
Windsor, Windsor and Maidenhead, South East - SL4 1AA
Worlds End, Kensington and Chelsea, London - SW3 5EX
Yate Sodbury, South Gloucestershire, South West - BS37 4BB