The Government has today put forward a proposal that could see Post Office Ltd turned into a mutual, giving power to staff, sub postmasters and communities.
The Postal Services Bill, which will be debated by Parliament in the coming months, proposes powers to transfer ownership to a mutual. This proposal would give those who know the Post Office best – subpostmasters, staff, other post office operators and the customers they serve – a say in how the Post Office is run. The Bill includes protections to ensure that the Post Office will always be run for the public benefit.
Mutuo is interested in exploring ways that former state and municipal providers can achieve greater public satisfaction in services that have higher degrees of employee, user and wider stakeholder engagement. In particular, we want to achieve greater accountability for the taxpayer in public services by fostering a greater sense of ownership.
The new Coalition Government’s Big Society agenda has heralded a rapid growth of mutual business-like providers, created from state and municipal bodies. Mutuo’s objective is to highlight where high quality mutuals can combine business efficiency with accountability to customers, staff and other stakeholders.
Peter Hunt, the Chief Executive of Mutuo, said:
“This proposal could help to secure the future of the Post Office for the public benefit. As a mutual, the Post Office will be able to harness the experience and goodwill of its employees, business partners and its customers. Together they will be part of a practical partnership that uses all of their skills to design a Post Office for the years ahead.”
Notes
Mutuo has led the development of new mutuals in the public sector over the last seven years.