Treatment of Kirkwall Crown Post Office branch “a disgrace” – Carmichael

Orkney and Shetland MP, Alistair Carmichael, has spoken out in Parliament about the future of the Crown Post Office branch in Kirkwall, calling the approach taken “nothing short of a disgrace”. Speaking in a debate on the future of Post Office services on Thursday afternoon, Mr Carmichael highlighted the poor experience felt by Shetlanders when the Crown Post Office in Lerwick was closed in 2020, and warned that any changes to the Kirkwall branch must maintain the same level of access and services.

It was reported in November 2024 that up to 115 directly-owned Crown Post Offices could be sold to third parties or closed. The government-owned Post Office has 11,500 branches across the UK, most of which are franchises, with 115 Crown Post Offices, of which one is in Kirkwall. UK ministers have stated that “no decisions to close any or all of the remaining directly managed branches have been taken” and announced plans to “significantly increase postmaster remuneration”.

Speaking in the House, Mr Carmichael said:

“In particular, I want to talk about the Post Office’s approach to the closure of Crown branches. We see that in my constituency, where the last Crown post office in Kirkwall is listed for closure. The way that has been done by the Post Office has been nothing short of a disgrace. It has been totally lacking in respect for its employees and the communities that the post office is there to serve. It makes me think that all the fine words about changed culture at the top of the Post Office are simply meaningless weasel words.

“We lost the Crown post office in Lerwick in Shetland a few years ago. For all the promises given about maintaining services, in fact the community was left with a much inferior service at the end of the day, despite the best efforts of the newsagent who got the contract. If we are to see these changes in Kirkwall, we need to know first of all that the same range of services will still be available as there are from a Crown post office. That includes vehicle licensing, currency exchange and passport checking—all those things should still be available.

“Just as important as the range of services is the question of the physical infrastructure. People want a stand-alone post office to offer a level of service of the sort they get with a Crown post office, especially when we are encouraging banking into them. 

“The size, the range of services and the quality of service have to be at the heart of anything that comes from the Post Office by way of revision. That is the basis on which we in my community will be judging any proposals that it comes forward with.”