High Peak postmaster delivers petition to Downing Street

On Friday November, 3 Tim Boothman from Chapel-en-le-Frith Post Office was one of four postmasters from across the country selected to hand deliver the petition to the government.

He said: “The message to Government is very clear, we’d like DVLA services to remain in post offices after April, 1 2024.

“The Government needs to think very clearly about this and do a U-turn on its decision.

“Post Offices are key to communities.

“There should always be somewhere that people can call in with enquiries, to perform transactions.

“We’ve got some fantastic postmasters out there who have rallied round and pushed this petition.”

Tim along with members of The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), MP Marion Fellows, Chair of the House of Commons All-Party Parliamentary Group on Post Offices, and three other postmasters made the journey to the capital.

They were calling on the Prime Minister to retain DVLA services at Post Offices.

The petition, which has been signed by hundreds and thousands of people, was created to put pressure on the Government to reverse their decision to remove all DVLA Services by March 2024.

NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow said: “Presenting this petition to Downing Street is a critical moment for us.

“Every year services are being removed from Post Offices and this is our chance to fight back.

“The fact so many customers signed our petition demonstrates the public want DVLA services to remain available in Post Offices.”

MP Marion Fellows said: “Currently, 1.2 million adults do not have a bank account and 1.5 million people do not have access to the internet.

“Sub post offices can be, and should be, nurtured by the government because of their role in acting as high street hubs, providing access to cash and increasing footfall in our communities.”

A DVLA spokesperson added: “The Post Office currently provide a limited range of DVLA’s services and an extension to the current contract has been agreed until March, 31 2024.

“We want our customers to be able to access our services as quickly and as easily as possible, and the role of front office counter services will form part of the considerations of any future service offerings.”