December 2023 SubPostmaster magazine

THE 

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SUBPOSTMASTERS 

DECEMBER 2023 www.nfsp.org.uk 

EXCLUSIVE NFSP 

INTERVIEW I P10 

PO’s Martin 

Roberts on the 

future of the 

network, and 

more 

NFSP CONFERENCE 

I P18 

Early bird 

invitation for 

new attendees 

to the NFSP 

Annual 

Conference 

2024 

FREE 

INSIDE 

Petition power 

Inside: The NFSP hands thousands of 

signatures backing our DVLA campaign 

to 10 Downing Street 

PLANNING AHEAD 

Get organised 

in 2024 with 

our handy wall 

planner

Contents 

THE 

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SUBPOSTMASTERS 

DECEMBER 2023 www.nfsp.org.uk 

In this month’s issue 

4 NFSP COMMENT 

Chief Executive Officer Calum Greenhow on an exciting 

business opportunity for postmasters 

6 NEWS 

The NFSP’s DVLA petition is delivered to 10 Downing Street 

7 NEWS 

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak acknowledges the central role of 

post offices in communities 

8 NEWS 

The NFSP National Meeting addressed a number of issues 

facing postmasters 

9 NEWS 

A debate in parliament considered the sustainability of rural 

post offices, and the NFSP was in attendance 

10 POST OFFICE INTERVIEW 

Members’ Editor Jon Follenfant spoke to Martin Roberts, 

Group Chief Retail Officer, Post Office Ltd, for an exclusive 

interview for The SubPostmaster 

18 NFSP CONFERENCE 

Early bird invitation for new attendees to the NFSP Annual 

Conference 2024 

20 MAILS SEGREGATION 

There has been a huge turn around in compliance 

performance for the Letter/Large Letter mail bag 

22 NFSP FEATURED PARTNER 

Phone home with AQA 

24 CUSTOMER SUPPORT 

Advice on supporting our autistic customers 

25 NETWORK UPDATE 

Results from the September and October member survey 

and directors’ log 

26 NFSP FEATURED PARTNER 

Kingfisher Cards flies in as a new partner 

28 THE NET UPDATE 

The latest from the NFSP’s Negotiating and Engagement 

Team 

30 MAILBOX 

Your letters answered by Post Office Ltd and the NFSP 

34 PLANNING AHEAD 

How to take advantage of the big spring events 

6 9 

10 24 

A reminder: The next edition of The Subpostmaster 

will be published in February 2024 

Production editor: Allan Norbury (allan@lewisbusinessmedia.co.uk) 

Design: Sarah Crowhurst 

Contributors: Steven Bailey, Ruth Buckley-Salmon, Wendy Burke, Robert 

Clack, Amanda Cox, Julia Goatcher, Calum Greenhow, Keith Richards, 

Helen Richardson, Paul Simmonds, Elizabeth Vessey 

Members’ Editor: Jon Follenfant 

NFSP Headquarters: 

Evelyn House, 22 Windlesham Gardens, 

Shoreham by Sea, West Sussex BN43 5AZ 

Tel: 01273 452324 

Email: thesubpostmaster@nfsp.org.uk 

The views expressed in The SubPostmaster are not necessarily those of the NFSP. 

The SubPostmaster is published by Lewis Business Media (Arts) Ltd 

on behalf of the National Federation of SubPostmasters 

©Lewis Business Media (Arts) Ltd 2023 

Tel: 01825 983105 

ISSN 0039-433 

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December 2023 The SubPostmaster 3

Comment CEO Calum Greenhow 

AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO 

GROW OUR BUSINESS AGAIN 

NFSP Chief Executive Officer 

Calum Greenhow 

rior to Covid, Tim 

P 

Boothman and I visited 

the headquarters of Royal 

Mail in London. During 

that meeting with a senior member 

of Royal Mail we raised the issue of 

postmasters regularly losing 

customers to Royal Mail and the 

financial impact that was having. 

The Royal Mail employee simply 

shrugged their shoulders. 

Over these recent years, I have 

listened to colleagues from around 

the country tell me time after time of 

losing a business customer direct to 

Royal Mail. Despite postmasters 

being loyal to the Royal Mail brand, 

due to the historical link between 

the two businesses, the network has 

seen how Royal Mail has protected 

its position by increasing the price 

difference between its online 

platform and the cost to the 

customer via your branch. Therefore, 

that loyalty is now under severe 

strain. 

Your concerns have been raised 

internally to Post Office Ltd (PO) over 

these years and it is now 

momentous 

that for the first 

time in 360 years, 

the Post Office 

network will be 

selling other mail 

carriers beyond Royal 

Mail. 

This is an exciting opportunity for 

us to grow our business once again 

by becoming a local mails hub for 

domestic and business customers. 

Over the last few years as Royal Mail 

has become more aggressive in 

encouraging customers to avoid our 

network, we now have the ability to 

attract back those customers we 

may have lost or, indeed, new 

customers as well. This could also 

benefit our retail business. 

What I can see is just how much 

the strikes from this time last year 

and the cyber-attack from earlier 

this year affected postmasters’ 

remuneration. Whilst these were out 

of the network’s control, collectively, 

we all felt the financial impact. Now 

we have the ability to minimise 

these impacts to our businesses. 

“We would 

rather have 

problems to resolve 

than continually 

seeing our mails 

business eroded” 

This is why we asked colleagues 

questions on Evri and DPD in last 

month’s remuneration survey, so 

thank you to everyone who 

responded. Colleagues’ expectations 

for these products are high and it is 

encouraging to see the response 

from the network on who would like 

to provide these products 

immediately. There is a rollout 

programme that is about to begin, 

however, the NFSP agrees with the 

89% of postmasters who want to see 

the whole network be able to 

provide these services so that 

everyone benefits. 

Results from the survey show us 

where the initial teething 

problems are, and we 

have raised these with 

PO, who are 

working on 

solutions. 

The results 

also show that 

65% of 

postmasters 

who currently 

accept Evri and 

DPD have 

invested in 

shelving with costs 

less than £200. Here, 

69% of postmasters have 

made it clear how important it is 

that PO fully explains its strategy for 

these services so that postmasters 

can judge the level of investment 

they need to provide in relation to 

the potential return on that 

investment. 

Colleagues have also asked for 

support from PO in capturing this 

market in your local areas so, again, 

we will be asking PO to work with 

the NFSP to provide this. 

Colleagues, this is indeed positive 

news and whilst there will be initial 

teething problems, we would rather 

be in the situation of having these 

problems to resolve than continually 

seeing our mails business eroded. 

Let’s work together with PO to 

capture and grow this exciting 

opportunity. 

4 The SubPostmaster December 2023

News Roundup 

Jenny makes a stand 

at Downing Street 

Postmaster Jenny Cain, of Barnards Green Post Office, helped 

the NFSP deliver the DVLA petition to Downing Street last 

month. Here she writes about why keeping DVLA services is 

so vital to post offices. 

ometimes you have to make 

S 

a stand for what you believe 

in and the 100,000 people 

who signed the NFSP 

petition to stop the removal of DVLA 

services from post offices obviously feel 

strongly enough that they added their 

names to this campaign. 

Having just ‘celebrated’ nine years of 

being a postmaster I am acutely aware 

of just how many services the 

government has withdrawn from our 

branches and how this has affected 

footfall. The government’s aim to push 

everyone onto the internet is causing, 

by stealth, higher levels of isolation and 

loneliness, along with excluding a 

whole sector of society with learning 

difficulties, those who do not want 

internet access and those in rural areas 

that don’t have access. Not to mention 

the devaluation of our businesses. 

Standing at the door of 10 Downing 

Street and handing over the signatures 

was a little surreal but also a reminder 

that the seat of power 

“The feedback 

from my customers 

was amazing and 

many are worried 

that they will lose a 

vital service” 

Jenny Cain delivers 

the 100,000-signature 

petition to 10 Downing Street 

needs to listen to the average person. 

Interviewed four times over the 

course of the day by both BBC radio 

and TV, including being the headline 

for the BBC West Midlands news, was a 

very nerve-racking experience 

especially when the broadcasts were 

live. Although the headline was the 

potential removal of DVLA services, 

myself and my fellow postmaster Tim 

Allen from Kington, did also manage to 

talk about the overall erosion of services 

and how this not only affects the 

communities we are all part of but the 

role of the post office going forward 

and how such erosion is affecting and 

devaluing our businesses. 

DVLA’s response was “We want all our 

customers to be able to access our 

services as quickly and easily as 

possible…. The role of…. Counter services 

will form part of the considerations of 

any future offering”. Surely if this is the 

case then it should remain in our 

branches. Who else has the vast 

level of knowledge and 

indeed patience to 

answer queries day to 

day? 

Post Office Ltd (PO) 

issued a statement to 

the BBC describing 

“the trading 

environment for many 

postmasters as 

incredibly tough”, that it 

was “committed to finding 

ways to support them” and 

“that it continued to engage 

with DVLA to find out more about its 

plans for next year”. I would urge the 

PO board to look at this response and 

do more to negotiate harder to keep 

one of the last government services, 

before too many postmasters simply 

cannot afford to carry on and shut their 

doors. 

In the weeks which followed 

attending Downing Street, the 

feedback from my customers was 

amazing and many are worried that 

they will lose a vital service. 

They have learnt a great deal more on 

how their habits can affect us and how 

being a transactional-based business is 

incredibly difficult. 

Let’s hope that in the next edition of 

this magazine, the headline will be a 

victory for the everyday person and 

postmaster. 


PM responds to DVLA campaign 

Prime Minister Rishi 

Sunak acknowledged the 

central role post offices and 

postmasters play in local 

communities after the 

NFSP presented the DVLA 

petition to Downing Street 

on Thursday 2 November. 

The petition, which has 

been signed by thousands 

of postmasters and 

customers, was created to 

put pressure on the 

government to reverse its 

decision to remove all DVLA 

services from Sunday 31 

March, 2024. 

Six million people use the 

Post Office network for 

accessing DVLA services 

each year and the NFSP 

received press coverage 

across the UK from 

delivering the petition. 

The BBC attended 

Downing Street to interview 

NFSP CEO Calum 

Greenhow, NFSP Chair Tim 

Boothman, NFSP Non- 

Executive Director Sue 

Edgar, postmasters Tim 

Allen and Jenny Cain and 

MP Marion Fellows, whilst 

Public Affairs Manager Ruth 

Buckley-Salmon held 

brollies and took pictures. 

The interviews were 

broadcast on several local 

BBC television and radio 

stations, and stories were 

published in numerous 

local newspapers. 

Sue wrote several emails 

to Sunak, her MP for 

Richmond (Yorks), to 

highlight the campaign 

and received a reply 

the day after the 

petition was 

presented. 

After thanking 

Sue for her 

emails and 

apologising for 

being unable to 

meet with the 

NFSP, the Prime 

Minister wrote: “I would like 

to assure you that I fully 

acknowledge the central 

role that the Post Office and 

postmasters play in our 

communities. Postmasters, 

such as yourself, have an 

unrivalled relationship with 

their customers, often 

going above and beyond to 

play a range of roles at the 

heart of their communities 

and support customers in a 

way few other businesses 

can.” 

A ministerial response 

from Richard Holden MP, 

who replied in his Minister 

for Roads and Local 

Transport role before being 

appointed Conservative 

Party chairman, was also 

sent to the NFSP. 

He wrote that the 

Department for Business 

and Trade’s long-standing 

position is not to involve 

itself in Post Office Ltd’s 

(PO’s) commercial 

decisions. He added that 

would be the position 

whether PO is negotiating 

with a private company or 

another part of 

government. 

Calum stressed the 

importance of delivering 

the petition to government 

and said: “Presenting this 

petition to Downing Street 

is a critical moment for us. 

“I fully 

acknowledge 

the role that the 

Post Office and 

postmasters 

play in our 

communities” 

Left to right: Tim Boothman, Marion Fellows MP, Calum Greenhow, 

Sue Edgar, Tim Allen, Jenny Cain and Ruth Buckley-Salmon 

Every year services are 

being removed from post 

offices and this is our 

chance to fight back. The 

fact that so many 

customers signed our 

petition demonstrates that 

the public want DVLA 

services to remain available 

in post offices. As de facto 

business partners of 

government, we need 

genuine support to 

maintain our ability to 

Rishi Sunak 

provide vital services in our 

communities across the 

country.” 

Tim Boothman added: 

“Post offices are key to 

communities. There should 

always be somewhere that 

people can call in with 

enquiries, to perform 

transactions and it’s also 

essential for the viability of 

the network. 

“We’ve got some 

fantastic postmasters out 

there who have rallied 

round and pushed this 

petition. I’d like to thank 

everybody who has taken 

part in the campaign and 

got their customers and 

communities involved.” 

The deadline to sign our 

petition to prevent 

government from removing 

DVLA services from post 

offices has been extended 

to Monday 8 January. 

Please continue to share 

the petition online and in 

your post office. 


News Roundup 

The NFSP held its National Meeting on Tuesday 24 October when the 

Horizon Inquiry, NBit, the Restrictions Policy and several other topics 

were discussed. Here is an overview of the key points. 

HORIZON INQUIRY 

The NFSP continues to be heavily 

involved with the Inquiry and will 

support it any way we can but due 

to the confidential nature there is a 

limit on what can be said. 

Phase 4 of the Inquiry began on 

Wednesday 19 September and will 

continue until late December, 

before concluding in January 2024. 

Phase 5 will not begin until early 

2024, with Phases 6 and 7 

beginning later in 2024, before Sir 

Wyn Williams’s report is finalised 

and published. 

The Inquiry takes up a significant 

amount of the NFSP’s time and we 

must fund legal costs ourselves, 

unlike Post Office Ltd (PO), which 

has received £150 million from 

government to help meet costs 

associated with the Inquiry. This will 

result in us posting losses, as we are 

not prepared to cut back on 

supporting colleagues today. 

NBIT 

We are very concerned about the 

development of NBIT, which is a 

replacement for Horizon. 

There is an acknowledgement 

about significant delays in the 

programme and the first 

postmaster trials will not take place 

until next year. 

There are also concerns over 

funding from government that is 

required to develop NBIT to fully 

rollout. On this basis, the NFSP is 

ensuring that government is fully 

aware of any issues there may be 

around the development of NBIT. 

The NFSP wishes to reassure 

colleagues that we will do what we 

can to ensure the transfer from 

Horizon to NBIT is as smooth as 

possible. 

The NFSP has raised a number of 

questions about NBIT and will 

update you when we get answers. 

RESTRICTIONS POLICY 

The Cabinet Office, Performance 

and Innovation Unit published a 

report in 2000 about the future of 

the network. 

It stated PO must continue to keep 

its policy (Restrictions Policy) under 

review to ensure restrictions are not 

tighter than absolutely necessary . 

This has not been done for a 

considerable time, therefore the 

NFSP are ensuring that a review on 

the Restrictions Policy is taking 

place in light of the PIU report of 

2000. 

There are benefits and detriments 

to the Restrictions Policy. The 

NFSP’s position is it needs to be 

renegotiated to ensure greater 

freedom and fairness for 

postmasters and to reduce the level 

of control that PO has on a 

postmaster’s ability to trade . 

OVERSIGHT COMMITTEE 

The NFSP are looking very closely at 

this because we feel the 

governance of the Post Office has to 

change. 

We want to ensure due diligence 

takes place before key decisions are 

made; policies and strategies are 

implemented as intended; key risks 

are identified, monitored, and 

mitigated; and business processes 

and systems are working well. 

We need to improve transparency 

in decisions made between the 

government and PO that affect the 

network and therefore the security 

of your investment . 

Mutualisation is the goal but how it 

would be implemented is difficult 

because government and PO would 

have to agree. Agreement would 

also be required from postmasters 

and other stakeholders. This type of 

governance structure is 

commonplace within local 

government or within the NHS, so it 

is not something new or 

unprecedented . 

NET UPDATE 

There is a proposal currently being 

discussed by PO whereby 

postmasters could earn extra 

income by renting out spare office 

space or an unused conversation 

room for banks to speak to 

customers. Postmasters would 

register on Branch Hub, input 

contact details and the bank would 

liaise directly with the branch. Fees 

for this are still being discussed. 

We have stressed how important it 

is that PO ensures Horizon remains 

a strong focus and there will be 

continued ongoing improvements 

to keep it fit for purpose. 

PO has agreed all online travel 

insurance renewals originally linked 

to an office sale, will be paid to 

postmasters at the current rate. 

Project Copperstop (network 

routers and phone lines): Every 

postmaster will get a free desk 

phone for the branch worth £52.52 

and the portable phone will be 

£125.68 (£178.20 minus the £52.52). 

Offices which have already bought 

a phone will be recompensed 

£52.52 in their remuneration. 

Etop-up transactions can now be 

removed from the basket right up 

to settlement, so if the payment 

method fails the transaction can be 

aborted. 

Buy-in-branch first 

phase launched 

The first phase of Post Office 

Ltd’s (PO’s) buy-in-branch sales 

with DPD and Evri was launched 

in November. 

For the first time in PO’s 

360-year history, in-branch sales 

with multiple carriers was 

launched, which means Royal 

Mail is no longer the only carrier 

available at branches. 

The rollout began at all 

branches which provides PUDO 

services for DPD and Evri. 

PO’s aim is to have buy-inbranch 

services in all 4,000 DPD 

branches and 2,000 Evri 

branches in time for the peak 

Christmas period, but this will be 

dependent on the success of the 

first phase pilot. 


Debate about the 

sustainability of 

rural post offices 

The NFSP attended a debate in parliament on 

Wednesday 25 October about the sustainability of rural 

post offices. 

It was tabled by Jamie Stone MP, Caithness, 

Sutherland and Easter Ross. 

Topics discussed included how the provision of postal 

and banking services can help combat rural isolation; 

how the government must work with communities to 

protect these services; how staffing pressures are 

specific to rural offices and how the DVLA helps 

increase footfall and can communities have help to 

re-open post offices? 

Postmaster Craig Greenhalgh is pictured (left) 

following the debate with Mr Stone. 

Action plan launched to tackle retail crime 

An action plan to 

tackle retail crime was 

launched by the 

government in October. 

Crime and policing 

minister Chris Philp 

chaired a meeting with 

senior police leaders 

and 13 of the UK’s 

The NFSP, along with their 

solicitors, met with Post Office Ltd to 

discuss the ongoing situation around 

the dramatic reduction in the leavers 

payment, imposed on colleagues 

who agreed to leave the network in 

2015. 

The discussion was flavoursome, 

biggest retailers 

to launch the Retail 

Crime Action Plan, 

which sets out to tackle 

the rise in shoplifting, 

catch more offenders, 

and keep retail workers 

safe. 

Mr Philp said: “I want a 

Hard-to-Place meeting update 

new zero-tolerance 

approach to tackling 

shoplifting. It is a blight 

on our high streets and 

communities and puts 

the livelihoods of traders 

at risk. I am determined 

to drive forward 

change.” 

and we await a response from PO on 

their position. The NFSP has 

submitted Freedom of Information 

requests to both government and PO, 

seeking clarification on how 

taxpayer's funding was spent in 

relation to Network Transformation, 

which has been blocked. 

NATIONAL LOTTERY 

DEADLINE FAST 

APPROACHING 

Many postmasters were sent 

an email from noreply@ 

tnlretailerhub.co.uk on 

Wednesday 25 October 

regarding applications to 

become National Lottery 

retailers in the Fourth National 

Lottery Licence which begins on 

Thursday 1 February, 2024. 

We encourage you to refer to 

the email sent to you to 

understand the specific actions 

that need to be addressed, 

ahead of the deadline of 

Monday 18 December. 

If you have any questions 

about next steps, please send an 

email to 

onboardingsupport@ 

camelotgroup.co.uk 

HORIZON WITNESSES RESCHEDULED 

Due to a lack of disclosure from PO, a number of key witnesses 

who were due to stand at the Horizon Inquiry in November have 

been rescheduled. 

Phase 4 will continue until Thursday 21 December and two 

additional weeks of Phase 4 evidence will follow in January 2024. 

The NFSP remains fully engaged with the Inquiry. 

Colleagues can watch each session of the Inquiry on YouTube, search 

for Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry. 

CHECK OUT OUR 

YOUTUBE CHANNEL 

The NFSP filmed live from 

Downing Street when we 

handed in the DVLA petition on 

Thursday 2 November. 

Interviews can be found on our 

YouTube channel – National 

Federation of Subpostmasters. 


PO Interview 

INTERVIEW: 

MARTIN ROBERTS 

This month, Members’ Editor Jon Follenfant posed a series of questions to Martin 

Roberts, Group Chief Retail Officer, Post Office Ltd (PO), for our year-end edition of 

The SubPostmaster magazine. 

As a leading and important figure in the lives of UK postmasters, determining the economic viability of their 

post offices, there are so many questions which our readers are interested in. Postmaster profitability has taken 

a hit over the past three or four years due to Covid and the ongoing cost-of-living crisis which has led to higher 

operating costs – wages, utilities, etc – coupled with the increased digitalisation of the economy and societal 

changes without the necessary significant increases in remuneration. 


Martin Roberts Group Chief 

Retail Officer, 

Post Office Ltd 

What have you achieved during 

2023 which has brought benefit to 

the network and postmaster 

remuneration? 

We introduced a number of 

remuneration improvements 

including 20% increases to banking 

deposits, inflation-linked increases on 

Royal Mail volume-based 

transactions and increases to DVLA. 

Through our multi-carrier mails 

propositions, we’re now driving more 

than 0.5m parcels per week into PO 

branches across the UK. 

While increases in remuneration 

for the provision of Post Office 

products and services are, of course, 

important, they are not the only way 

to make branches more profitable. 

We have also worked hard to change 

“We aim 

to continue to 

build on our 

multi-carrier 

mails strategy” 

the approach of our area managers, 

moving them to more of a ‘coach 

style’ role using Horizon data to 

support postmasters to increase 

commercial profitability. We have 

seen more than 5,500 Commercial 

Excellence (Branch MOT) visits 

undertaken this year with a 

range of benefits being 

identified, from staffing 

efficiencies, opening 

hours improvements, 

growth in crossselling 

to travel 

insurance, Travel 

Money Cards and 

more recently the new 

mails carriers such as Evri. 

From this series of visits, I’m 

glad to share that we’ve seen 

significant uptake on the advice and 

recommendations given, with the 

benefit often going directly to the 

bottom line for postmasters. This 

included 26% of branches agreeing 

to review staffing schedules, 29% of 

branches agreeing to review staff 

effectiveness, and 14% of branches 

agreeing to review opening hours. 

In addition, our marketing efforts 

are helping to drive profitability 

through increasing footfall. Our 

marketing team has run a series of 

impactful marketing campaigns 

throughout the year including travel, 

Christmas and our first ever tri-party 

campaign promoting international 

money transfers, as well as exploring 

new channels such as promoting our 

services on London Underground. In 

addition, the ‘Choose Your 

Campaign’ portal is now being used 

by more than 2,000 branches, 

helping postmasters to select the 

right messages at the right time. 

Our digital team has redesigned 

our PostOffice.co.uk website to make 

it more user-friendly and accessible. 

This is enabling customers to find 

the support they need, to help them 

understand our products and 

services and (critically) driving footfall 

to branches as the website acts as a 

digital shop window for our 109m 

annual website visitors. 

Google reviews are becoming an 

increasingly important metric. Over 

the last 12 months, our average 

Google rating has risen from 3.2 to 

3.9 stars, and we have consistently 

been scoring above 4 stars since 

September. We’ve been trialling the 

use of business cards across 2,000 

branches to remind customers to 

leave us reviews and have started 

testing what impact our customer 

care team can have on supporting 

those customers who leave us oneand 

two-star reviews. 

We're also in the process of 

upgrading the Post Office Travel App 

and are hoping to migrate our 700k 

Travel App users ahead of Christmas. 

The app brings together the inbranch 

and online experience. In the 

current financial year 84% of Travel 

Money Cards are bought in branch, 

but then 71% of the top-ups are done 

digitally – however, postmasters 

continue to receive remuneration for 

those top-ups if the card originated 

in branch. Over recent months, the 

Branch Hub team has delivered even 

more innovative capabilities to 

branches including hosting 

remuneration statements on Branch 

Hub, digitising vetting processes and 

a full roll-out of Branch Hub on 

Horizon – allowing branch teams to 

access the platform from the 

counter. Use of the platform nearly 

doubled compared to last year. With 

more postmasters using Branch Hub 

than ever before, they now have 

access to performance data to help 

drive more effective and profitable 

branches and this insight can be 

used to drive improvements. 

What does 2024 hold for 

postmasters in terms of new 

products and services which will 

add to remuneration? 

We aim to continue to build on our 

multi-carrier mails strategy, 

delivering more value to customers 

and postmasters. Simultaneously, 

we're committed to improving our 

current product offerings and 

renegotiating some key commercial 

contracts. We're also exploring new 

products and services that can 

seamlessly integrate with our existing 

infrastructure, minimising disruption 

to the development of our New 

Branch IT (NBIT) programme. In the 

coming months, we'll conduct some 

small-scale trials to establish 

commercial viability and ensure 

these innovations meet the needs of 


PO Interview 

Evri and DPD services are 

now available to buy in 

post offices 

our customers. 

In Mails, we expect to build on the 

huge progress seen in 2023 where 

we have developed many new 

customer propositions such as 

multi-carrier customer collection, 

customer drop off, and customer 

return. We have listened and 

understood how important Mails is to 

postmasters and have moved at pace 

with our Mails strategy, which now 

sees more than 30,000 non-Royal 

Mail access points. 

We will continue to build on our 

newly launched buy-in-branch 

offering, with Evri and DPD delivery 

services available to buy over the 

counter and expand both the 

products and the number 

of branches. We aim to 

add DPD International 

and expand the DHL 

offering to many 

more locations 

across the network, 

and we’re discussing 

other service 

propositions with DHL 

too. 

We are still working hard 

to launch Royal Mail Tracked 24 

and Tracked 48 in branch. We plan to 

add other carriers and services to 

Parcels Online – our online parcel 

delivery service – and we’re also 

planning developments for Drop & 

Go such as adding Evri and DPD. 

“Our priority 

is making sure 

the (Horizon 

replacement) 

system is fit for 

the future” 

We aim to develop International 

Customs Data Capture (ICDC) with 

more features and improvements in 

early 2024 and beyond. And we will 

continue to work closely with Royal 

Mail, our primary carrier partner, to 

develop market-leading propositions. 

In relation to the changing backoffice 

landscape that PUDO is 

driving, we are also exploring 

opportunities to pay remuneration 

for correctly completing key backoffice 

activities, as well as looking to 

relaunch our operations manual to 

share the latest best practice. 

Do you feel that the ongoing 

inquiry into the Horizon and 

bonus gate scandals has 

led to a reduction in 

both public and 

government trust in 

PO? 

We are committed 

to righting the 

wrongs of the past 

and ensuring those 

impacted are 

compensated as quickly 

as possible. In terms of how 

past issues impact trust in PO, 

public brand perceptions are stable 

overall, although we do 

understandably see some ups and 

downs in terms of awareness of the 

Inquiry and related issues. We track 

agreement with a statement ‘Post 

Office is a trustworthy brand’. The 

October data shows this varied from 

c.70% to 73% agreement this year, 

which is pretty stable. We also track a 

few metrics which point to our role in 

communities and supporting people 

who need it most. These include ‘I 

personally value the role my local 

post office plays in my local 

community’, which shows a sixmonth 

average of 71% agreement. 

On government trust, I regularly 

meet with MinisterKevin Hollinrake, 

and I am encouraged by the support 

from government. 

Talking of Horizon, what 

progress has been made on the 

NBIT project? Bearing in mind 

postmaster involvement in shaping 

many proposed changes to 

transaction procedures through 

forums, will postmaster 

representatives be key in deciding 

whether the end result is accurate 

and fit for purpose? 

We have made considerable 

progress with the technical 

development and the roll-out 

planning for the replacement of 

Horizon. Our priority is making sure 

the system is fit for the future, and 

that the roll-out is as efficient and 

effective as possible. 

We are in the final stages of testing 

for the second phase of our pilot. 

Aldwych, London and St John’s, 

12 

The SubPostmaster December 2023

Leeds (two DMBs) will again be 

involved in this phase, which will 

include more features such as core 

inland mails and back-office 

functions for payment and cash 

counting. We maintain regular 

contact with our shortlisted pilot 

branches. The Postmaster IT working 

group, which includes NFSP 

executives and members, has also 

provided feedback to help inform the 

design, build and training of the new 

system since June 2021. We’ve held 

more than 50 sessions covering a 

range of topics, including cash and 

stock management, training, and 

outreach solutions; and 30 one-toone 

sessions with postmasters who 

have helped with user experience 

testing and provided us with valuable 

feedback. More than 150 postmasters 

took part in anonymous useability 

testing through an online platform. 

As we progress through the next 

pilot phase and beyond, we’ll invite 

postmasters from the working group 

to take part in User Acceptance 

Testing (UAT) before the system is 

rolled out in postmaster branches. 

Postmaster volunteers will pilot the 

system in all branch types and 

provide us with regular feedback, 

and the working group sessions will 

continue. Throughout this period, 

and beyond, we will be engaging 

closely with the NFSP. 

You have introduced Drop & 

Collect with, I understand, the 

intention to open 500, by March 

2024. How big do you envisage this 

model will reach and what 

safeguards have you introduced to 

ensure no adverse effect on 

existing branches? 

Drop & Collect was the first new 

format launched by Post Office in 10 

years. This was in response to a 

growing volume of parcels 

– a total market of five 

billion parcels a year – 

and competitors 

taking volume away 

from post offices. 

Since the first Drop 

& Collect opening in 

October 2021, we 

have opened 445 so 

far, with more to come. 

I understand the 

concern and worries of 

postmasters when we announce that 

a new Drop & Collect is opening near 

their branch. It's new and there are 

always lessons to learn – we perhaps 

could have better handled 

communication with nearby 

postmasters and better explained 

what we are trying to achieve. With 

that in mind, we are going to trial a 

new way to inform postmasters of 

potential openings to get their 

feedback before progressing with 

onboarding the prospective Drop & 

Collect retailer. 

It will give us the opportunity to 

listen to postmasters' views and 

make better informed decisions on 

where to open Drop & Collect 

branches. 

Some postmasters have concerns 

that the new Drop & Collect branches 

will take business away from their 

post office. Let me be clear that so 

far, the risk of losing parcel volumes 

is coming more from other carrier 

competitor locations. 

Many of them opened over the 

past few years less than a mile or half 

a mile from post offices. The aim is to 

“The aim is to 

take parcel 

volumes from 

competitor sites – 

not existing 

post offices” 

take parcel volumes from those 

competitor sites – not from existing 

post offices. It’s not in the interests 

of PO or postmasters to see 

those volumes move 

between our own 

branches, and there’s 

a minimum distance 

a new Drop & Collect 

location can be from 

existing post offices 

– currently half a mile. 

We monitor how the 

branches are 

performing for that 

purpose: how the volumes of 

parcels progress in the Drop & Collect 

branch and the changes observed in 

nearby post offices within a mile 

distance. So far, we have not seen 

evidence of a transfer of trading from 

a post office, with one exception 

when a post office temporarily 

closed. 

The Drop & Collect branches also 

only offer a limited set of products 

– Royal Mail Local Collect and returns 

and acceptance of prepaid parcels. 

These products in a post office 

represent around 5% to 7% of 

postmasters' remuneration. The 

significant difference is that post 

offices process many parcels a week 

- several hundred - whereas Drop & 

Collect branches are currently 

averaging less than 40 parcels a 

week. 

As customers get used to Drop & 

Collect branches, particularly during 

this coming peak period, we expect 

to see some volumes increase, but 

we will continue to monitor volumes 

across the network to avoid volumes 

migrating between branches. 

Finally, with the NFSP we have 

Difficult employees: The negative attitude 

What are the impacts of negative 

attitudes in the workplace and what 

strategies can employers put in place 

to manage them? 

HR:4UK explains what business-owners 

can do to remedy the situation. 

SCAN 

QR CODE 

TO READ 

MORE* 

*You must log into the members’ area of the NFSP website. 


NFSP Community 

“It is really 

important to 

us to have open 

dialogue with the 

NFSP at 

all levels” 

14 


agreed a review panel process for 

postmasters to submit a case if they 

have evidence of a negative impact 

on their trading due to a Drop & 

Collect branch opening. We ask 

postmasters to wait for six months 

after the opening before doing so, to 

fully measure any impact. 

Whilst you have 

introduced Drop & 

Collect and Banking 

Hubs, do you 

include them as 

part of the Post 

Office Network and 

who negotiates their 

contracts and 

represents their 

operators and is responsible 

for errors? 

Banking Hubs are not counted as 

a Post Office format, and they don’t 

count towards our network numbers 

as they don’t offer a mails service. 

They are funded by Cash Action UK. 

The service in Banking Hubs comes 

in two parts: the physical operation of 

the hub itself, and then the 

transactions that take place over the 

counter. Our banking team has 

negotiated an agreement with Cash 

Access UK for the physical set-up and 

running of the hubs and we give 

postmasters the opportunity to run 

these, with local postmasters being 

asked first. Transactions are governed 

under the Banking Framework and 

the remuneration is at the normal 

Main branch rates. Errors are treated 

exactly the same as at a normal Post 

Office branch. 

Banking Hubs are great 

commercial opportunities that 

postmasters can apply for if they 

would like to. We see lots of interest 

and receive great feedback from 

postmasters who currently run them 

(we refer to them as ‘Banking Hub 

Operators’). We currently have nine 

Banking Hubs open, and our aim is 

to have 30 open by Christmas. 

For Drop & Collect, we have agreed 

in principle with the NFSP that it 

should represent Drop & Collect 

operators – as it does with other 

branch formats – and we’re working 

together to ensure this is reflected in 

our formal agreements. 

“We believe 

the breadth and 

expertise of our 

network is our 

greatest 

strength” 

With an increased emphasis on 

mails following the introduction of 

carriers such as DPD, Evri, DHL and 

Amazon how many branches will 

benefit from the introduction of 

these services and will there be an 

opportunity to further increase 

remuneration by the 

addition of other 

services? 

We now have 

around 8,000 

branches offering 

Amazon services, 

4,000 offering DPD 

and 2,000 offering 

Evri. We believe the 

breadth and expertise 

of our network is our 

greatest strength and will 

help us achieve our Mails vision of 

unparalleled access for customers, 

carriers and postmasters alike. 

My teams and I remain focused on 

expanding these services to as many 

branches as possible. We need to 

continue to deliver the safe, reliable 

and trusted service we are known for 

to ensure we can continue to expand 

into more branches. All our carriers 

are looking to us to outperform other 

access points in their networks on 

things like scan adherence and low 

customer complaints, so delivering 

these will be key to the medium and 

long-term success of our new 

partnerships. 

Our key collective Post Office focus 

is making the new products a 

commercial and operational success 

to allow for further expansion and 

further remuneration for 

postmasters. 

Now that Banking Hubs are 

up and running will you 

be trialling Parcel Hubs 

/ shops purpose 

designed to cope 

with capturing the 

PUDO market? 

Drop & Collect 

branches are the 

equivalent to ‘Parcel 

Hubs’. We also want 

our existing network of 

post offices to grow their 

market share in the PUDO 

market, to attract more customers 

through their doors, as part of our 

“I regularly 

visit branches. I 

find the feedback 

from postmasters 

incredibly 

valuable” 

Mails strategy outlined in an earlier 

answer. 

We listened to postmasters telling 

us they want to have the handheld 

device in Drop & Collect branches, to 

be able to serve customers better 

during the retail opening hours at 

the retail counter. We are working on 

the opportunity to implement a 

modular handheld device that will 

have the capability to offer bill 

payments, PUDO and other simple 

products. This is anticipated over the 

next two financial years depending 

on the discussions on funding that 

are currently happening. 

Do you feel that you really have 

an understanding of what matters 

to postmasters? With postmaster 

NEDs, the role of the retail 

engagement team, the postmaster 

experience director, pulse surveys 

and regional forums, do you get 

conflicting answers? 

Yes, with the support of my team, I 

believe I have a good handle on what 

matters to postmasters. You may 

have seen we recently announced 

that Mark Eldridge, postmaster at 

Great Massingham and Brancaster 

branches, is our new postmaster 

experience director. 

I regularly visit branches myself 

– up and down the country, as well as 

frequent trips to my local branch – 

and find the feedback from 

postmasters incredibly valuable. 

That’s as well as listening to feedback 

from other teams across PO who 

spend time directly with 

postmasters. 

I get updates direct from the field 

team on issues that are reported to 

them from postmasters, 

together with insight from 

our Branch Support 

Centre colleagues, 

regional forums, and 

direct senior leader 

engagement. I also 

receive insight from 

the NFSP on any 

issues that are raised. 

And as a result of the 

annual postmaster 

research, I have hosted 

direct listening sessions with 

postmasters including in-person 

sessions in Reading and Sheffield, 


PO Interview 

Martin Roberts describes 

Banking Hubs as ‘great 

commercial opportunities’ 

and one virtually, to understand in 

more detail what we need to change 

to help improve the relationship we 

have with postmasters, which has 

resulted in an action plan for the 

short, medium and long term. 

Postmaster feedback is really 

important to me. I take pride in 

ensuring that I thoroughly review all 

of this insight on a weekly basis to 

understand current issues and 

concerns, identify any root cause 

issues, which are then prioritised to 

resolve, and to help inform our 

decisions. The feedback we receive 

from the various sources tends to be 

very similar and is always welcome, to 

help inform changes we need to 

make to help postmasters run viable 

businesses. But of course, while there 

are common issues and threads, 

every postmaster is different and the 

view of one individual may not be the 

same as everyone else. Our aim is to 

have that holistic view from as many 

postmasters as possible. 

I’m keen to encourage more direct 

senior leader engagement, so look 

out for several initiatives where 

postmasters will have the 

opportunity to listen to and ask 

questions of senior leaders in the 

near future. Although I understand 

the number one priority for 

postmasters is to run a viable 

business, and we are constantly 

looking at ways to increase 

remuneration and reduce costs, we 

are also conscious that we can be 

better in other ways to help improve 

operationally. 

I would encourage 

postmasters to continue 

to give feedback and 

complete future 

postmaster research, 

as your input is vital 

for us to understand 

where we can 

improve and increase 

the support and 

relationship we have 

with you. 

Would you describe your 

relationship with the NFSP as 

useful and constructive and adds 

to the success of the business? 

We have a strong working 

relationship with the NFSP – it is 

necessarily challenging, but 

professional, for the benefit of all 

parties. 

Many postmasters tell us that they 

are unsure of the role of the NFSP 

and how it can support them. I’m 

therefore keen to help NFSP 

communicate with its members 

“Postmaster 

feedback is really 

important to me. I 

take pride in 

reviewing this 

insight” 

about what support it can and does 

provide. If postmasters have any 

issues, they should contact PO first 

though, through our normal 

channels, but I would encourage 

them to contact NFSP if they need 

further support or to escalate their 

issues. 

We have regular meetings to 

ensure the NFSP is kept updated and 

has the opportunity to comment and 

give input to upcoming changes. The 

NFSP, rightfully, can give a further 

dimension of input, in addition to our 

direct postmaster feedback methods, 

to help us ensure any planned 

larger-scale changes are carefully 

thought through, as well as giving us 

the opportunity to explain the 

rationale for change. My team meets 

with the NFSP NET team monthly, as 

well as other various internal 

departments, such as our security 

team and our team who deals with 

transaction corrections. There is also 

close day-to-day interaction between 

us on operational issues that arise. 

The NFSP is the only recognised 

body who can negotiate 

remuneration changes on 

postmasters’ behalf, so we work 

together to look at how we can best 

support increases in 

remuneration in a 

sustainable way, within 

the constraints of any 

contract negotiations 

we have with thirdparty 

suppliers. 

We also work 

closely with the 

NFSP Mails support 

team, where we are 

seeing improvements in 

mails segregation, which 

could result in a bonus to all 

postmasters at the end of the year if 

we hit all three targets. The Mails 

support team is also helping 

postmasters to maximise the 

opportunities PUDO brings. 

I meet formally with Calum 

Greenhow (NFSP CEO) quarterly and 

we have a tripartite meeting with 

Minister Hollinrake every quarter. In 

addition, Nick Read (our CEO) meets 

Calum twice a year. 

It is really important to us to have 

open dialogue with the NFSP at all 

levels. 

16 


NFSP mails support 

GETTING MAILS SEGREGATION RIGHT – 

LETTER/LARGE LETTER MAIL BAG 

This last couple of months have 

seen a huge turn around in 

compliance performance for the 

Letter/Large Letter mail bag with 

July and August exceeding target. 

As of P7, Agency as a collective is 

just 0.4% away from achieving the 

Letter/Large Letter mail bag target. 

If this level of performance 

continues for the remainder of this 

financial year you will have the best 

opportunity of receiving the 

maximum amount of income for 

mails segregation. We truly thank 

you for all your efforts and support 

in ensuring your mail bags are 

compliant prior to sending them to 

Royal Mail. 

Recently, we have made some 

changes to the Mails Support Team 

and the areas they cover. The table 

below shows each team member, 

their contact details and the mail 

centre areas they cover. Please don’t 

hesitate to contact them if you need 

any support or have any questions 

that relate to mails segregation. 

YEAR TO DATE PERFORMANCE TARGET FOR EACH MAILBAG: 95% 

1st 

Class 

Parcel 

Letter/ 

Large 

Letter 

2nd 

Class 

Parcel 

96.2% 

94.6% 

95.9% 

THE NFSP MAILS SUPPORT TEAM 

Name Telephone number Email address Mail centre areas 

Alan White 07983 042613 alan.white@nfsp.org.uk Manchester, Nottingham, NW Midlands, 

Warrington, Belfast 

Anthony Davis 07399 294949 anthony.davis@nfsp.org.uk Romford and Chelmsford 

Bhavna Desai 07983 042596 bhavna.desai@nfsp.org.uk Chester (Preston) 

Dee Goberdhan 07398 544707 dee.goberdhan@nfsp.org.uk Bristol and Birmingham 

Helen Richardson 07984 221823 helen.richardson@nfsp.org.uk Newcastle, Leeds, Sheffield 

Naina Ardeshana 07983 042535 naina.ardeshana@nfsp.org.uk Greenford, South Midlands, Swindon 

Parimal Bhatt 07398 794019 parimal.bhatt@nfsp.org.uk Home Counties North, Mount Pleasant (Greenford) 

Rita Palmer 07983 042526 rita.palmer@nfsp.org.uk Swansea, Cardiff, Exeter, Plymouth, Truro 

Stewart Swabey 07398 042533 stewart.swabey@nfsp.org.uk Croydon, Dorset, Jubilee, Medway 

Sue Swabey 07398 544691 susan.swabey@nfsp.org.uk Gatwick and Southampton 

VACANT Norwich and Peterborough 

Vijay Lakhanpal 07983 042553 vijay.lakhanpal@nfsp.org.uk Glagow, Preston, Aberdeen, Carlisle, 

Inverness, Edinburgh 


Christmas is generally thought of as a time for giving. 

For the Christmas period and next year our aim collectively 

is to give the Letter/Large Letter mail bag the best 

compliant Christmas and 2024 it has ever experienced. By 

doing so and meeting the 95% mails segregation 

compliance target, in return in April, it will give you the 

best 2024 mails segregation payment ever! Have some fun 

completing the wordsearch below. 

All words to be found relate to items that shouldn’t be 

placed in Letter/Large Letter mail bags. You may even find 

that the Mails Support Team have left you a special 

seasonal greeting. 

O S V G E M L P W Y Z X A N J U W Q T Y C I P V G O S T B J 

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Special delivery 

INT tracked and signed for 

INT tracked 

INT signed for 

Franked Meter LLL 

PPI 

Return to Sender 

Parcelforce 

Mail left inside mail bag 

Incorrect or no label 

First class Parcels 

Second class Parcels 

A seasonal greeting from the Mails Support Team 


NFSP Featured partner 

Phone home with AQA 

AQA has been the proud technology provider behind the Post Office 

UK & International Phone Card for more than 12 years and has recently 

announced that the phone cards will now be rebranded as AQA UK & 

International Calling Card, and that postmasters will receive an 11% 

discount on all phone card orders. 

AQA offers low-cost call rates across the world and the phone cards are available 

in hundreds of post offices and other retail outlets across the UK. 

Who is your market? 

Cheap international calls 

for the unconnected 

Classic case: UK residents 

calling overseas 

Foreign nationals for 

calling home 

One off use e.g. 

international access to 

destination mobiles not 

accessible via modern 

methods such as WhatsApp 

or FaceTime 

Anyone who struggles to 

use a smartphone – physical 

or other disabilities but is 

able to use standard phone 

Cards are used by care 

homes, NHS patients and 

boarding schools. 

Main advantages 

Good for everyone 

Simple operation 

Straightforward purchase, 

ready to run from any 

landline or mobile – instant 

use 

Simple cost structure 

No connection fee and no 

hidden charges 

Visibly cheap calls – 1p 

calls and free calls to 

selected destinations on 

Saturdays 

Promotions generate 

extra activity and even lower 

cost (e.g. weekend calls to 

Australia, landlines free for 

GET IN TOUCH 

For more information visit: 

HOW TO 

ORDER 

www.aqatelecom.com/webstore 

Visit www. 

aqatelecom.com/ 

webstore 

Click on the side menu 

– Calling Cards 

Wholesale. 

Phone cards are 

available in three 

denominations, £5, £10 

and £20, with a 

minimum order of £150. 

To activate the 11% 

discount (which has 

increased from 7%), 

postmasters need to 

enter the offer code 

nfspm23. 

Payment can be made 

through credit or debit 

card, bank transfer or 

Google Pay. 

All cards will be 

activated…. for 

immediate use*. 

Once ordered the 

cards will be dispatched 

within two days. 

the first 60 minutes) 

Trusted organisation 

(Post Office) compared to 

“any-brand” cards 

End-user support for any 

issues. 

“Post Offices are one of the very few places where customers can buy phone cards and, therefore, this 

is an essential service for postmasters to offer their customers. Many communities rely on being able to 

easily access these cards and your office can play an important role in providing this help to your local 

community. 

With an 11% discount at the point of sale for postmasters, this also offers a commercial revenue 

opportunity and an opportunity to increase your footfall. AQA’s experience is that once customers buy 

from you there is a very high rate of repeat sales. We are delighted to be working with AQA and we 

would encourage members to look to add this product to their current retail offer. ” 

Robert Clack NFSP Director of Retail and Commercial. 

*AQA callings cards will be delivered as ‘Active’ status instead of ‘Pre-Activated’, so that postmasters do not need to call for activation, 

they can start selling the cards immediately. 

22 


NFSP customer support 

SUPPORTING OUR 

AUTISTIC CUSTOMERS 

Following on from our campaign to make 

post offices a better place for customers living 

with dementia, Christine Donnelly, NFSP Non- 

Executive Director, wanted to do something 

similar for our autistic customers 

s with dementia, autism 

A 

takes many forms, so this 

can only be a very general 

guide. 

Autism affects adults and children 

of all ages. 

There are an estimated 700,000 

autistic people in the UK. I would like 

post offices to become a place that 

autistic people and their carers look 

forward to visiting. 

Not all offices can do everything 

suggested, but you may be able to do 

some or a variation. For example, 

bright lights can be a problem, so big 

stores and shopping centres can have 

dim areas. I have a 

small shop, but if I 

see someone 

clearly distressed, I 

can turn down 

some of the lights 

while they are in 

the shop. 

Look out for the 

Sunflower Lanyard, 

this is an indicator that 

someone has a hidden 

disability. 

Stimming is a repetitive action, like 

tapping fingers together on a surface 

or flapping hands. This can be a 

“I would like 

post offices to 

become a place 

that autistic people 

and their carers 

look forward to 

visiting” 

stress indicator or something they 

enjoy doing. 

Wearing or carrying ear defenders 

often signifies a problem with excess 

noise and may be a sign the 

customer is autistic. Try to talk in 

short sentences with pauses, speak 

more slowly and give processing time 

before repeating yourself. 

Use a person’s name if you know it, 

so they know you are talking to them. 

Waiting in a queue can be very 

stressful, if you have a spare counter 

call them over. In my case with a 

single counter just say to the next 

person in the queue “I would like to 

serve this person first” – you don’t 

have to say why. 

Have a couple of fidget spinners or 

stress balls on the counter or a notice 

saying they are available. Some 

outlets offer stress packs with a 

selection of items including ear 

defenders – but do make sure you 

clean items after every use. 

Familiarity can be important. Have 

photographs of your shop interior on 

your social media, especially the first 

view as you enter the shop, then the 

actual counter where purchases are 

made. 

Don’t be afraid to talk to a regular 

customer, parent or carer about what 

you can do to help. Choose a 

moment when the shop is quiet, and 

they seem to be on good form and 

ask if there is anything you can do to 

make difficult days easier. 

Talk to your staff, tell them what 

you are doing and why, they may 

have good suggestions. 

Employment is a huge 

issue for autistic people. 

They might struggle 

with a conventional 

application but 

with a little extra 

thought about the 

process, the 

training, and the 

job itself, you could 

really do something 

great. 

Finally, if you have an 

employee who has an 

autistic family member talk to them 

about it. 

They may need leeway to help 

them manage their life. 

24 


NFSP Member Survey 

NETWORK 

UPDATE 

Results from the September and October 

member survey and directors’ log. 

The remuneration survey is one of the main connectors 

between the NFSP and its membership. We ask that you 

continue to fill out the surveys as often as you can, as they 

help the NFSP confidently and accurately share this data 

when engaging with Post Office Ltd and beyond. 

REMUNERATION: 

year on year comparison 

35% 

PO remuneration in 

comparison to 2022 

35% of respondents say 

that remuneration is 

down by 11-20% 

21% 

Retail remuneration 

in comparison to 2022 

21% of respondents 

say remuneration is 

up by 1-10% 

BEST SELLING IN POST OFFICE 

Business and consumer banking 

Collections & returns 

Special delivery 

TOP 

POSTMASTERS 

ISSUES VIA 

THE MONTHLY 

SURVEY 

TOP 

POSTMASTERS 

ISSUES IN THE 

DIRECTORS’ 

CALL LOG: 

Q 

For 

Q 

The 

those providing Evri/DPD, do 

you require support to capture 

this market in your local area? 

YES 

75% 

YES 

89% 

Low footfall 

Low remuneration 

Online competition 

Escalating costs 

Discrepancies 

Health 

Contract 

Transfer 

NO 

25% 

NFSP believes all 

postmasters should be able to 

provide Amazon, DPD and Evri 

alongside Royal Mail, do you 

agree? 

NO 

11% 

Q 

Postmasters who have Evri/DPD, are the volumes: 

Above 

anticipated 

As 

anticipated 

Lower than 

anticipated 

13% 

32% 

58% 


NFSP Featured partner 

Award-winning Kingfisher 

flies in as a new partner 

ingfisher Cards 

K 

Ltd is excited to 

be working with 

the NFSP as a 

new retail partner. Kingfisher 

Cards offers one of the 

widest ranges of great value 

greeting cards available. Not 

only are they designed and 

produced in the UK, but they 

offer unrivalled quality for the 

price. 

Winner of two Henries 

Awards, the ultimate 

accolade in greeting card 

publishing, in the last three 

years, Kingfisher brings 

beautiful cards with great 

profit margins to members. 

With a special discount 

offer for NFSP members, 

retailers can expect markups 

of over 150%, full sale or 

return on all seasonal 

product, and three special 

new product package offers 

per year, to raise margins 

even further. All orders are 

dispatched same day from 

Kingfisher’s Devon-based 

warehouse. 

With a simple to use 

website, retailers can order 

easily online or request a call 

from one of Kingfisher’s 

agents. Kingfisher Cards can 

individually cello-wrap cards 

and carriage paid orders are 

only £100. 

GET IN TOUCH 

For more information, or to order, visit www.kingfishercards.co.uk 

To request the latest catalogue, email sales@kingfishercards.co.uk 

Contact Paul on 01803 431515 with any questions. 

PRODUCTS 

ARE: 

Award-winning 

Designed and 

produced in the UK 

Great value 

High quality 

NFSP MEMBER 

BENEFITS: 

Special discount 

Mark-ups of 

over 150% 

Three special offers 

per year 

Same day dispatch 

26 


The NET update 

LATEST UPDATE 

FROM THE NET 

The NFSP Negotiating and Engagement Team (NET) are 

back with another update of the current issues across the 

network and the work it does to address them. 

PROJECT COPPERSTOP 

The rollout by Openreach of Project 

Copperstop continues. Post Office Ltd 

(PO) was hoping to have 200 sites 

completed by mid-November and the 

rollout will recommence again after 

Christmas with the aim of completing 

about 500 sites per month. 

Communications will be sent to 

postmasters and the information 

will be uploaded on to Branch Hub. 

Each branch should also receive a 

phone call confirming the date of 

attendance by Openreach engineers. 

Please make sure that you and your 

staff know the expected dates, so this 

changeover goes smoothly. 

Please also remember to order your 

new VOIP phone prior to changeover. 

TRAINING CATALOGUE ACCESS 

AND SUPPORT MATERIAL 

A variety of training modules are now available via Branch Hub 

and also through postoffice.learning.uk.com 

There is also availability for individual product training through 

the training catalogue on www.onepostoffice.co.uk 

If you need any further assistance, please contact your Area 

Manager who can help. 

For help and advice with network support issues please 

call the NFSP Helpline on 01273 452324 or send an 

email to admin@nfsp.org.uk 

NI MAILS 

ISSUES 

PO has fortnightly calls 

with the Northern Ireland 

Area and regional 

managers around customs 

issues and the number of 

items being returned in 

error. 

We are aware that there 

have also been instances 

where customers needed 

to make their own claims 

and Royal Mail customer 

service were advising 

incorrectly as to the 

process to be followed. We 

are raising these issues on a 

monthly basis with PO. 

Would stickers help 

protect from international 

returns? 

PO is going to raise 

again with the Royal Mail 

International team. 

DROP AND 

COLLECT UPDATE 

We have now reached 

agreement with PO to instigate a 

panel with specific terms of 

reference to review, where 

appropriate, offices who believe 

they have been impacted by a 

nearby opening of a Drop and 

Collect outlet. 

Whilst we are aware that there 

are nearly 500 of these outlets 

now open, very few of these are 

having any impact on existing 

offices. However, we want to 

ensure that any postmaster 

who has raised a concern either 

through PO or the NFSP has the 

ability to request the panel to 

review the situation after the new 

Drop and Collect has been open 

for six months. 

28 


Your letters 

MAILBOX 

Your letters answered by Post Office Ltd 

and Jon Follenfant, NFSP Members’ Editor 

How can community 

branches communicate? 

ear Editor, 

D 

I very rarely see 

or read anything 

about 

community post offices, 

which like mine are only 

open a few hours a week, 

are vital and essential to 

the local community, 

especially for banking 

services, yet must be costly 

for Post Office Ltd (PO) to 

run. 

I don’t even know how 

many there are? 

My question is about 

access to Branch Hub, Post 

Office emails, and anything 

else that requires online 

communication for the 

subpostmaster of a 

community post office. 

I don’t earn enough from 

my community post office 

(six hours per week) to 

provide a separate 

smartphone/laptop access 

to PO online information 

and I certainly should not 

be accessing this from a 

shared computer at any of 

my other places of work. 

However, this is exactly 

what I have to do in order 

to access or log-in to any of 

the above. 

Is there a solution for 

Ben Fund quarter page horizontal ad.pdf 8 10/03/2023 18:13 

community post offices? 

Anita Clements 

Postmaster 

South Scarle Community 

Post Office 

POST OFFICE REPLIES 

Alex Burrell, Head of 

Postmaster 

Communications, writes: 

Thank you for your letter, 

Anita, about online and 

email communications. 

More than 9,600 people 

from all sorts of branches 

have subscribed to receive 

Post Office email 

communications such as 

the weekly Postmaster 

email and Branch Focus. 

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

NFSP 

Benevolent Fund 

To request an application form contact NFSP 

Headquarters on 01273 452324 or email 

benfund@nfsp.org.uk 

For further information please visit www.nfsp.org.uk 

All our work is carried out in total confidence. 

The Fund does not cover business related issues. 

Helping postmasters 

and their families 

in times of need 

Registered charity 262704 

30 


When a postmaster or 

team member registers for 

Branch Hub, they have the 

opportunity to opt in to 

receive our 

communications, such as 

branch messaging, 

Memoviews and Branch 

Focus. We use this data to 

send the weekly email 

to postmasters 

too. Registered 

users can opt 

in and opt 

out of 

receiving 

these at any 

time and 

certain 

updates such as 

product changes 

are sent only to the 

relevant branches. If you’re 

not receiving the 

communications that you 

expect, please check to 

make sure you have opted 

in. 

Branch Focus is now also 

published on Branch Hub, 

as well as by email as 

mentioned above and on 

Horizon – providing three 

different ways for 

postmasters and their 

teams to access this 

information. 

We’ve also just started 

rolling Branch Hub out on 

Horizon. 

You’ll have seen Branch 

Hub become much more 

of a ‘one-stop shop’ for 

useful information, 

“Branch Hub 

can be accessed 

any time that’s 

convenient, not 

just while in 

branch ” 

processes and 

communications. Branch 

Hub can be accessed any 

time that’s convenient, not 

just while in branch, 

including through a 

mobile app. On the app, 

you can also set your 

notification preferences to 

get emails or app 

notifications for 

important 

Memoview 

updates. 

If you don’t 

already have 

the app, you 

can 

download it by 

searching for 

‘Branch Hub’ in 

either the Apple store or 

Google Play and tap to 

download it to your phone. 

Once the app has been 

installed, type in 

branchhub.postoffice. 

co.uk when prompted to 

enter the instance 

address. Then tap ‘Save’ 

and then “Continue to 

Branch Hub” to start 

enjoying the mobile app. 

If we need to send urgent 

communications about an 

issue that impacts 

branches’ trading, we send 

a Memoview which, as you 

know, pops up on Horizon 

in the branches it’s sent to, 

so everyone working in the 

branch would see it. 

Postmasters don’t need 

to buy a separate device to 

view PO communications 

and all of the 

communications outlined 

here are for all 

postmasters, whatever 

their branch type. 

There are currently 

around 1,800 traditional 

format branches in the 

Post Office network. 

MEMBERS’ EDITOR 

REPLIES 

Many thanks to Anita 

Clements for her letter and 

to Alex Burrell for PO’s 

thoughts on the matter of 

Post Office 

The members editor would welcome your letters, e-mails or 

messages. You can contact us by post or email. 

Send a letter to: 

SubPostmaster Magazine Letters 

Evelyn House 

22 Windlesham Gardens 

Shoreham-by-Sea 

BN43 5AZ 

Tel: 01273 452324 

e-mail: thesubpostmaster@nfsp.org.uk 

communications to its 

postmasters. I agree with 

Anita that we don’t often 

hear from community post 

offices who, after all, 

comprise over 15% of the 

physical Post Office 

network. Whilst I see the 

cost savings and 

immediacy that the use of 

digital communications 

brings to the business I do 

miss the weekly print 

versions of Branch Focus 

that could be shared and 

read and initialled by all 

staff members and put to 

one side for those away 

from branch to read later. 

Notwithstanding what 

Alex Burrell writes about 

postmasters not needing 

access to their own digital 

devices I would hazard a 

guess that the majority 

access post office 

communications on their 

own smart phone, tablet or 

PC. As for trying to find 

information on Horizon – I 

gave up long ago! 


Helpline and press option 1. 

Retail Support quarter page horizontal Ad.pdf 10 14/11/2023 18:49 

Member NFSP Directory member benefits 

GET THE MOST FROM 

YOUR BENEFITS YOUR MEMBERSHIP 

FOR ANY PROBLEM OR ISSUE RELATED TO RUNNING A POST OFFICE 

PLEASE CALL THE NFSP HELPLINE – 01273 452324 

BENEVOLENT 

FUND 

An independent registered 

charity helping past and present 

postmasters and their families, in their 

time of need. 

Visit nfsp.org.uk or email 

benfund@nfsp.org.uk 

DISCOUNTS 

WITH NFSP+ 

From phones and mobile 

devices to shopping and 

supermarket discounts, to 

car maintenance and 

travel. Scan the QR Code for great deals on 

fantastic products and services from 

NFSP+. 

EMPLOYMENT 

HELPLINE 

Support with managing your 

staff and HR advice in partnership with 

HR:4UK. 

Call 01273 452324 and press option 1. 

FREE 

INSURANCE 

NFSP free insurance 

policies cover members 

from tax and VAT 

investigations and 

personal ID theft. Call the helpline or scan 

the QR code to find out more or make a 

claim. 

HEALTH AND 

WELLBEING 

Free access to health and 

wellbeing support services including a 

24-hour helpline with qualified 

counsellors, bereavement support and 

medical information. Visit NFSP+ via the 

QR Code (above) to find out more. 

LEGAL 

HELPLINE 

Free advice on legal matters 

related to your business. Call Lyons 

Davidson Solicitors on 01172 442 794 and 

quote NFSP. 

MEMBER 

REPRESENTATION 

Our Network and Engagement 

Team represent postmasters in 

negotiations with Post Office Ltd and 

support members with contractual issues 

and difficulties. Call the Helpline or email 

admin@nfsp.org.uk 

Public Affairs represent postmasters in 

discussions with MPs and external 

stakeholders. 

Visit bit.ly/NFSPPublicAffairs for the latest 

campaign information or get involved by 

contacting our Public Affairs Manager 

ruth.buckley-salmon@nfsp.org.uk 

POST OFFICE 

SUPPORT 

For expert Mails and Mails 

Segregation compliance support from 

your regional Mails Support Advisor email 

mailssupport@nfsp.org.uk 

RETAIL 

PARTNERS 

Tap into our hand-picked 

list of retail partners 

offering exclusive deals to 

NFSP members. View the 

full list via the QR Code or visit nfsp.org. 

uk/retail-partner 

RELIEF 

SCHEME 

For cover when you need time 

away from your business. Our Relief 

Scheme, in partnership with HR:4UK, is 

available for NFSP members. Call the 

RETAIL SUPPORT 

ADVISOR 

Free personalised retail health 

checks via store visits or video calls. Advice 

on the best products to stock and much 

more. Call Amanda Pedley on 01273 

452324 or email retail@nfsp.org.uk 

YOUR 

REGION 

Each region in the UK has a 

thriving NFSP community led by Branch 

and Regional Secretaries who also run 

post offices. These representatives are 

there to provide advice and support with 

post office issues. They also organise 

online and face-to-face meetings for 

sharing your views and helping to steer 

the direction of the NFSP. 

Not sure who is your Branch or Regional 

Secretary? Call the helpline or e-mail 

communications@nfsp.org.uk 

STAY CONNECTED 

NFSP Weekly Newsletter 

– The latest news and 

information from the 

NFSP plus great retail 

offers. 

Regional WhatsApp Groups – Chat with 

postmasters in your area, stay across the 

latest breaking news. 

Exclusive NFSP Members’ Website – An 

essential resource with news, toolkits, 

information and advice covering the 

entire spectrum of running a post office 

and retail business. 

Private Facebook Group – Share your 

views with other members: 

Facebook.com/groups/NFSPmembers 

To access these services contact 

communications@nfsp.org.uk 

C 

NFSP Retail Support Programme 

M 

Y 

CM 

MY 

CY 

CMY 

K 

Sign up for a FREE personalised Retail Health Check, with 

Amanda Pedley, NFSP Senior Retail Advisor. 

Available via store visits or video call. 

This service is FREE to all NFSP members. 

Get in touch by scanning the QR code or call 01273 452324. 


Planning ahead 

PERFECT 

PLANNING 

Another year almost gone, and the next one on the 

horizon means it is time to do some yearly retail 

preparation. As postmasters, we are always busy, but it is 

important to take time in January and do some basics we 

sometimes forget. 

PREPARE FOR THE YEAR AHEAD 

Changing and restocking your shelves and 

tidying up your retail displays is a great way to 

add interest and increase sales. 

Look at what you have left in your inventory 

and how it has performed. If it did not do well, 

mark it down, organise a January sale and get 

rid of it. See footfall increase and that old 

stock disappear! 

GUESS 

WHO? 

Valentine’s Day on 

Wednesday 14 

February is an 

important day in 

the greeting card 

calendar, as millions 

of Valentine’s cards 

are posted out to loved ones. Make 

sure you have an attractive display up 

from mid-January. 

TOP 

TIP 

Why not create a 

Valentine’s window display 

to promote your stock and 

attract new customers 

through your door? 

TOP 

TIP 

NFSP 2024 

WALL PLANNER 

Putting together 

one single display 

of sale items tends 

to be more 

impactful than 

when sale items 

are spread around 

the store. 

SEE YOUR 

BRANCH 

THROUGH 

SOMEONE 

ELSE’S EYES 

Walk your store with 

someone who 

doesn’t work there 

and get their opinion 

on what they like or 

do not like within the 

space. A new set of 

eyes and opinions 

keeps things fresh. 

Find our free Wall Planner with this 

edition of The SubPostmaster, 

including all the important upcoming 

events and holidays, plus advice on 

when to begin stocking your retail. It is 

also a great tool for you to use to keep 

track of any important dates that 

affect your post office business. 

MOTHER’S DAY 

Mother’s Day is also coming up fast. 

Tuesday 19 March is the second most 

important card sales date of the year 

and is a valuable day for card 

retailers. Think about stocking 

Mother’s Day cards from the end of 

February for maximum profit time. 

Our NFSP partners have a fantastic 

range of greeting card options for 

you to explore. 

Click the 

QR code 

to find 

out more 

A SPRINGBOARD 

FOR SUCCESS 

Have you visited Spring Fair 

yet? The NEC Spring Fair is 

taking place from Sunday 4 

to Wednesday 7 February 

and offers a diverse, 

relevant and exciting 

marketplace for wholesale 

home, gift and fashion. 

Covering 14 product sectors, 

the variety of products at 

Spring Fair is unmatched 

and a great way to source 

the newest and most 

innovative products in UK 

retail. Plus, it provides the 

perfect platform to network 

with new and existing 

contacts in person, enabling 

long-lasting connections to 

be made. 

Why not 

contact 

Amanda 

Pedley, NFSP 

Senior Retail 

Advisor, who 

can offer a free 

personalised 

Retail Health Check via store 

visits or video call. Get in touch 

with Amanda today, by 

phoning 01273 452324 or by 

clicking on the QR code. 

34 


NFSP RETAIL PARTNERS 

ACCESSORIES 

Emelia Accessories 

024 7632 6198 

sales@emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

www.emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

ATM 

Cashzone 

01707 632839 

sales@cashzone.co.uk 

www.cashzone.co.uk 

BALLOONS/PARTY 

Amscan 

07764 560615 

tholness@amscan-uk.co.uk 

www.amscan.co.uk 

BOOKS 

The Cut-Price Bookstore 

01482 866695 

sales@cutpricebookstore.co.uk 

www.cutpricebookstore.co.uk/ 

nfsp 

BUSINESS TRANSFER 

Humberstones 

0800 731 8340 

jp@humberstones.co.uk 

www.humberstones.co.uk 

CALENDARS 

Unique Calendar Company 

01935 823241 

mike.ucc@btinternet.com 

www.unique-calendar.co.uk 

CASH COUNTING 

Safescan 

01233 645645 

info@safescan.com 

www.safescan.com/nfsp 

Tellermate Ltd 

01633 637123 

sales.uk@tellermate.com 

info.tellermate.com/nfsp 

CONVENIENCE 

Bobby's Foods 

07483 120462 

sally.malpass@bobbysfoods.co.uk 

www.bobbysfoods.co.uk 

Snappy Shopper 

0333 900 1250 

inbound@snappyshopper.co.uk 

FIXTURES & FITTINGS 

DoubleCOOL UK Ltd 

01283 586028 

zcolman@doublecooluk.com 

www.doublecooluk.com 

GIFTWARE 

History & Heraldry 

01709 730700 

postoffice@historyheraldry.com 

www.historyheraldry.com/ 

postoffice 

Global Journey 

0161 872 0333 

isamuels@global-journey.com 

www.globaljourney.co.uk 

Essentially 

01676 542542 

sales@emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

www.emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

GREETING CARDS 

Bug Art 

0115 929 4776 

enquiries@bugart.co.uk 

www.bugart.co.uk 

Cherry Orchard Publishing 

01684 295500 

info@cherryorchardpublishing. 

co.uk 

www.cherryorchardpublishing. 

co.uk 

Christine Gardner Design 

07763 123631 

hello@christinegardner.co.uk 

www.christinegardner.co.uk 

Emotional Rescue 

01942 233201 

hello@erescue.co.uk 

www.emotional-rescue.com 

The Great British Card 

Company 

01452 888999 

hello@greatbritishcards.co.uk 

www.greatbritishcards.co.uk 

Into the Green Publishing 

0800 529 8790 / 07795 957995 

pete.r@intothegreenpublishing. 

com 

www.intothegreenpublishing.com 

Kingfisher Cards Ltd 

01803 431515 

sales@kingfishercards.co.uk 

www.kingfishercards.co.uk 

Noel Tatt 

01227 811600 

sales@noeltatt.co.uk 

www.noeltatt.co.uk 

Otter House Ltd 

01392 824300 

sales@otterhouse.co.uk 

www.otterhouse.co.uk 

Words 'n' Wishes Ltd 

01942 233201 

alison@words-n-wishes.co.uk 

www.words-n-wishes.co.uk 

HOME STAIRLIFTS 

Acorn Stairlifts 

0800 073 9850 

srichardson@acornstairlifts.com 

www.uk.acornpartner.com 

INSURANCE 

UKGlobal Chester Ltd 

01244 566206 

steve.jones@ukglobalgroup.co.uk 

www.ukglobalgroup.co.uk 

MERCHANT SERVICES 

Handepay 

Merchant Services 

0800 377 7382 

michael.liposits@handepay.co.uk 

www.handepay.co.uk 

SumUp 

www.sumup.co.uk/nfsp 

MOBILE PHONE 

ACCESSORIES 

Mr Mobile 

0161 745 2210 

sales@mrmobileuk.com 

www.mrmobileuk.com 

PACKAGING AND 

STATIONERY 

IPS Retail 

01923 639800 

sales@ipsretail.co.uk 

www.ipsretail.co.uk 

PASSPORT AND 

ID SYSTEMS 

Swains International Ltd 

01485 536200 

sales@swains.co.uk 

www.swains.co.uk 

PHONE CARDS 

AQA UK & International 

Calling Cards 

0203 384 5961 

pocs@aqatelecom.com 

www.aqatelecom.com 

PHOTOGRAPHY 

AND PHOTOBOOTHS 

Facebox 

07973 561514 

d.antell@btinternet.com 

www.face-box.co.uk 

READING GLASSES 

Readyspex 

01963 440800 

telesales@peerltd.co.uk 

www.readyspex.co.uk 

SLUSH MACHINES 

Snowshock Ltd 

0330 053 6132 

sales@snowshock.co.uk 

www.snowshock.com 

TRANSPORT 

Affinity Vehicle Leasing 

0800 060 7070 

info@affinity4u.co.uk 

www.affinity4u.co.uk 

UTILITIES 

Love Energy Savings 

0203 903 9660 

info@loveenergysavings.com 

www.loveenergysavings.com 

VAPING 

Vapouriz 

0800 644 0000 

nfsp@vapouriz.com 

www.vapouriz.co.uk 

WASTE MANAGEMENT 

1st Waste Management 

07754 553307 

j.jordan@1stwaste.co.uk 

www.1stwaste.co.uk 

www.retailers.snappyshopper.co.uk

December 2023 SubPostmaster magazine

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