THE SUBPOSTMASTER - JUNE ISSUE

THE 

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE 

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SUBPOSTMASTERS 

JUNE 2024 www.nfsp.org.uk 

Nine pages 

dedicated to 

this year’s 

Annual 

Conference and 

Retail Event 

I P16-17 

Postmasters 

ask the most 

pressing 

questions at 

Conference 

Q&A event 

A community 

champion 

I 

Gary marks four decades of service 

at Menheniot Post Office 

P18-19 

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Contents 

THE 

THE OFFICIAL JOURNAL OF THE NATIONAL FEDERATION OF SUBPOSTMASTERS 

JUNE 2024 www.nfsp.org.uk 

In this month’s issue 

4 NFSP COMMENT 

Chief Executive Calum Greenhow describes why the right 

culture will ensure a bright future for the network 

7 NEWS 

The NFSP attended a wide-ranging meeting with Post 

Office Ltd (PO), along with other postmaster representative 

bodies 

10 NFSP INTERVIEW 

Members’ Editor Jon Follenfant spoke to PO Central 

Operations Director Mel Park 

14 THE NET UPDATE 

The latest from the Negotiating and Engagement Team 

15 CONFERENCE 2024 

Nine pages of coverage from the NFSP’s Conference, held at 

the University of Warwick in May 

16 CONFERENCE 2024 - YOUR QUESTIONS 

NFSP members were given the chance to pose their most 

pressing questions about the network 

18 CONFERENCE 2024 - BREAKOUT SESSIONS 

The future of the network came under the spotlight 

20 CONFERENCE 2024 - KEY SPEAKERS 

The NFSP’s Tim Boothman and Calum Greenhow addressed 

delegates 

22 CONFERENCE 2024 - DELEGATE FEEDBACK 

Attendees give their verdict on Conference 

23 CONFERENCE 2024 - RETAIL EVENT SUCCESS 

A number of new retailers were present at the Conference’s 

Retail Event 

24 MAILS SUPPORT 

Getting mails segregation right and how to achieve full 

remuneration for DPD PUDO work 

26 POST OFFICE IN FOCUS 

Gary Walters BEM this year marks 40 years as the 

postmaster of Menheniot Post Office 

29 YOUR LETTERS 

Members’ letters and points of view, with replies from PO 

and the NFSP 

34 PLANNING AHEAD 

The NFSP Retail Team’s guide to making the most of the 

summer months 

Look out for this year’s NFSP Annual Review 

We look back at a year which was, quite 

rightly, dominated by the Horizon Inquiry and 

set against the struggling economy. As we look 

to ensure a bright future for postmasters and 

the post office network, we reflect on the work 

that the NFSP has undertaken on behalf of its membership 

over the last year, highlighting achievements and what we are 

working towards going forward. 

The Annual Review can be viewed by scanning the QR code. 

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, Simon King, Keith 

Richards, Helen Richardson, Paul Simmonds, Elizabeth Vessey, Alan White 

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 2024 

Tel: 01825 983105 

ISSN 0039-433 

KINGFISHER JUNE SUBPOSTMASTER MAGAZINE.indd 1 31/05/2024 13:59 

June 2024 The SubPostmaster 3

Comment CEO Calum Greenhow 

THE RIGHT CULTURE 

CAN ENSURE THE POST 

OFFICE NETWORK HAS 

A VIABLE FUTURE 

s I write this column, we 

A 

have just finished 

Conference, which was 

one of the best I have 

attended. My first Conference was 

back in 2010 and there were around 

220 postmasters present. Conference 

2024 was back to those kinds of 

numbers, which was great to see. 

Thanks has to go to colleagues who 

attended for their approach and 

constructive challenge to not only 

myself but also Postal Affairs Minister 

Kevin Hollinrake and Post Office Ltd 

(PO) CEO Nick Read. 

Conference was about debating the 

big ideas that we as postmasters focus 

on. One such idea is culture. If our 

culture as a 

network is not 

right then the 

changes and 

improvements 

that are required 

to face the 

challenges of 

today and 

tomorrow, will not 

happen and that will 

lead to the detriment of us 

all. 

That is why it was important to really 

focus on the changes in culture that 

are required, not only within PO but 

also within the network. 

It was therefore encouraging to 

“It was 

encouraging 

to engage with 

colleagues who 

could see why a 

focus on culture is 

important” 

NFSP Chief 

Executive Officer 

Calum Greenhow, 

speaking at 

Conference 2024 

engage with 

colleagues who 

could see why a 

focus on culture 

is important at 

this very 

moment. 

To be clear, the 

bedrock of who we, 

the NFSP, are as an 

organisation has not 

changed since our formation 

back in 1897. The aim back then was 

the same as today “to improve the 

conditions under which postmasters 

labour and to undertake the 

advancement of our interests by all 

legitimate and honourable means”. 

4 The SubPostmaster June 2024

It was therefore 

important to 

restate the vision 

and mission of 

the NFSP as a 

collective of 

postmasters. 

Our vision is to 

be the collective 

voice of post office 

operators offering 

members 

representation, support, 

and solutions to realise the full 

potential of their businesses. 

Our mission is to provide a 

membership-led organisation, 

supporting members to operate post 

office and retail outlets. To represent 

their interests at every level of policy 

and decision-making. We offer you as 

postmasters, an opportunity to belong 

to, and take part in, a community 

working together for a more 

successful future. 

Saying this is not enough, we have 

to live it. Having Darren Burns of the 

Timpson Group speaking at 

Conference was key to this, as the 

culture within Timpson is an example 

“The right culture 

can enhance the 

communities within 

which that business 

operates” 

the business has to 

follow. During his 

speech on the 

Sunday 

afternoon, 

Darren showed 

colleagues the 

art of possible 

and what good 

looks like. He 

demonstrated that it 

is possible for the three 

levels within a business of 

operational, tactical, and strategic 

to work together for the common 

good of everyone in the business. 

Not only that but the right culture 

can enhance the communities within 

which that business operates. This is 

what we, as investing postmasters, 

today want for the network. 

With that in mind, we will seek your 

help during the year to introduce a 

Culture Committee. This will be a 

nominated colleague from each 

region of the NFSP working alongside 

the NFSP Chair and the CEO. 

I make no secret that this is 

something we will pinch from 

Timpson, that has a Culture 

Committee which is charged with 

encouraging colleagues to aim for the 

following targets: To be the best, enjoy 

change, keep looking for ideas, show 

leadership, win hearts and minds, no 

secrets, enshrine upside down 

management, to amaze their 

customers, be obsessed with 

colleagues by picking great people, 

ensure there are no big shots, 

discharge responsibility with head 

office being a support, to leave politics 

in the car park, making Timpson a 

great place to work, ensuring there is 

excellent training available, to always 

be fair, know their people, reward 

loyalty, support people in trouble, 

enable colleagues to feel good about 

themselves, support charity, celebrate 

success, and have fun at work. 

I do not regret buying our post 

office in 1995. I have loved owning and 

operating our business down the 

years, conversing with customers, and 

serving our community and I know 

many of you feel exactly the same. 

Together, with the right culture, we 

can ensure that the Post Office of 

today has a viable future, but we need 

your help to achieve this. 

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5

News roundup 

Stephen Harper 

obituary 

Stephen Harper 

NFSP Honorary Life Member 

Stephen Harper sadly passed away 

on 9 April, aged 71, in New Zealand. 

Stephen took over Dungiven Post 

Office when his father retired in 

September 1991. He joined the NFSP 

not long afterwards and started 

attending local meetings. 

After four or five years, he joined 

the Northern Ireland Committee. 

He was Branch President for a year 

and took over as National Executive 

Officer following Norman 

Ferguson’s retirement in October 

2006, and continued in the role 

until Conference 2013. 

He was a trustee to the Board of 

Benevolence, a member of the 

Mailwork Committee and Internal 

Development Committee and lay 

member on the General Purposes 

Committee. 

Stephen was elected as National 

President in 2010/11 and in 2015 was 

made Honorary Life Member. 

Our thoughts are with his wife, 

Erin, and their family at this sad 

time. 

NBIT TRIALS 

CONTINUING 

NBIT trials are continuing at pilot 

branches and the latest update is 

anticipated to go live in the summer. 

Trials will continue at more offices 

until mid-2027, with the mass rollout 

happening after that point. 

A mobile van has delivered 50 

demos to working postmasters across 

Wales and the South West. These 

have been 45-minute one-to-one 

hands-on experiences and have 

received a feedback score of 4.71/5. 

Concerns about user experience 

have been raised and PO state 

transactions should be quicker than 

present. NBIT will go through different 

stages of testing and the aim is to 

have a more agile system than 

Horizon. 

The NFSP submitted a response 

to the consultation on April 2025 

National Minimum Wage (NMW) 

rates. 

The submission pointed out that 

consideration had to be given to 

those postmasters, as selfemployed 

individuals, do not earn 

the equivalent of NMW, and the 

impact this could have on their 

staff levels, opening hours and 

future security. 

CONCERN OVER COUNTERFEIT STAMPS 

The NFSP raised concerns with Post 

Office Ltd (PO) in April over the 

potential reputational damage to 

postmasters regarding counterfeit 

stamps. 

Articles published throughout April 

and May reported that counterfeit 

stamps were flooding the UK. 

Members of the public complained 

about receiving £5 penalties to collect 

post after Royal Mail (RM) deemed the 

stamps on them to be counterfeit. 

PO has held several meetings with 

RM to find out how stamps are 

identified as fake, and RM now has 

stringent processes in place before 

customers are surcharged. 

Customers are reminded to only buy 

stamps from RM’s website or from 

their local post office. 

If any customer reports to you that 

they have been charged for a 

‘counterfeit’ stamp, let the NFSP know 

by emailing admin@nfsp.org.uk 

Post Office Bill approved 

The Post Office Bill was approved 

by Parliament last month, in a quick 

move to ensure the Bill passed before 

prorogation ahead of July’s General 

Election. 

The Bill introduces a law which 

quashes convictions from the Horizon 

scandal, and applies to convictions 

made in England, Wales and Northern 

Ireland. The Scottish Parliament used 

its emergency procedure to also 

quash convictions made in Scotland. 

The NFSP welcomes these 

announcements which help right the 

wrongs made during Britain’s biggest 

miscarriage of justice. 

Tracked delay 

The go-live dates for Tracked 24 

and Tracked 48 services remain 

delayed but trials are still 

continuing in some branches. 

The NFSP is concerned about the 

length of time it is taking to get 

these services to go live. 


Wide-ranging meeting with PO 

The NFSP and Voice of the Postmaster (VotP) met 

with Post Office Ltd (PO) last month and had a very 

constructive and pragmatic discussion on issues that are 

of intrinsic concern to postmasters. 

Topics covered included an update on the NBIT 

programme development, how governance of PO can 

be improved to enable postmasters as investors in the 

business to enjoy a greater partnership relationship with 

PO, how we can improve representation, enable greater 

awareness of and provide vital wellbeing support to 

postmasters across the country and, of course, 

postmasters’ remuneration. 

What was encouraging was just how much in 

agreement on these important issues the NFSP, VotP 

and PO are. 

Sadly, whilst the Communication Workers Union were 

invited, they decided not to attend. 

The aim over the coming weeks will be to meet with 

PO further to work together to develop improved 

governance and structure wellbeing support. 

NFSP highlights 

employee concern 

The NFSP expressed its concerns 

in April about the PO Board 

Postmaster NED roles and its 

effectiveness. 

The full statement can be found on 

www.nfsp.org.uk 

The NFSP wrote to the Post Office 

Ltd (PO) Board at the beginning of 

May following events in the Horizon 

Inquiry. 

We highlighted how employees of 

PO in the past were part of the 

obfuscation of truth in relation to the 

accuracy and reliability of the 

Horizon system yet remain 

employees of PO today. 

We are growing increasingly 

concerned that we keep having to 

deal with these individuals and ask 

whether they should remain in the 

employment of PO. 

The NFSP wants to discuss the 

seriousness of the situation further 

with the Board of PO. 

Phases 5 and 6 of the Inquiry run 

until the closing statements are 

made on Friday 26 July. 

Full coverage of the 

Inquiry is available on the 

Post Office Horizon IT 

Inquiry YouTube channel. 

Members of the Board of 

Benevolence would like to thank 

delegates at the NFSP Annual 

Conference for their donations to the 

NFSP Benevolent Fund. 

In total, £2,528 was raised through 

the raffle. This is in addition to the 

£3,742 in donations received 

between 1 June 2023 and 31 May 

2024. Thank-you also to the Regions 

who hold raffles, individual 

donations, those who have collection 

boxes on their counters and all the 

members for their kind donations 

through remuneration each month. 

Syed collects his 

certificate after 

retiring ai171525030911_June 2024 Subpostmasters Advert.pdf 1 09/05/2024 11:25 

Syed receives recognition 

Syed Mushtaq Haider Jafri was awarded a Certificate of 

Appreciation after retiring as postmaster of Norbury Post Office in 

February. Syed was presented with the award in front of his staff 

by Regional Manager Manish Mehta and Area Manager Cristina 

Scaramella. 


News roundup 

Report submitted to Welsh Government 

The NFSP submitted a report to 

the Welsh Government on behalf of 

the Wales/Cymru branch in May 

regarding access to high street 

banking in Wales. 

Wales is probably one of the most 

affected parts of the UK, alongside 

Northern Ireland and rural Scotland, as 

broadband coverage is not as 

widespread in more rural areas, 

therefore online provision may not be 

an option. 

Distance to the nearest alternative 

banking facility will be greater in 

Wales, due to its rural nature. 

The NFSP believes post offices offer 

a ready-made solution for bank 

branch closures, so government needs 

to adapt the access criteria to include 

opening hours, model type and 

banking services. 

New Members’ 

Editors announced 

We are delighted to announce that 

Tim Allen and Jon Bumphrey will take 

over as joint Members’ Editors of The 

SubPostmaster magazine from the 

August edition. 

Jon is a fourth-generation postmaster 

and he and his family have owned 

around 20 branches over the past 100 

years. He said: “This gives me valuable 

insight into where the Post Office has 

come from, where it is headed, and 

what it means to its staff, customers, 

and communities. 

“This role interested me because I will 

relish the opportunity to have first-hand 

access to the people who make a lot of 

the decisions that affect what we do 

every day in our branches.” 

Jon owns Evesham PO, a Main high 

street branch with 19 outreaches and he 

has also recently launched a Banking 

Hub. 

Tim became postmaster of Kington in 

2019 after a career in 

telecommunications and property. He 

was part of the NFSP delegation who 

handed the DVLA petition into 10 

Downing Street in November and he 

has also written several blogs which can 

be found on the NFSP website. 

Tim said: “I very much look forward to 

the possibility of interviewing PO 

Tim Allen and (inset) 

Jon Bumphrey 

personnel on matters of concern to 

postmasters and to finding answers to 

members’ letters. The level of 

renumeration that is paid to 

postmasters genuinely shocked me 

when I took on the job. 

“Whilst I have no expectation of major 

change anytime soon, I do believe we 

have passed the rock-bottom point and 

the trajectory for those who can hang in 

there is a better one. If I can play the 

smallest part in helping to change the 

way we are seen by Government, that 

would be truly worthwhile.” 

This magazine is Jon Follenfant’s last 

MEETING WITH 

THE DBT 

The NFSP met with the 

Department for Business and Trade 

(DBT) in April. 

The NFSP thanked the Postal 

Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake and 

the DBT for their work on 

compensation for victims of the 

Horizon scandal. 

Fake stamps were discussed 

and how postmasters are worried 

these are getting through. 

It was good to hear the Minister 

challenging Royal Mail (RM). 

The price of stamps and the 

Ofcom review: NFSP discussed 

concerns over Ofcom’s call for input 

and the lack of full stakeholder 

engagement, plus the lack of 

financial scrutiny of RM. 

Remuneration update: NFSP 

reiterated the increase needs to be 

greater to keep up with the cost of 

running a post office. 

as Members’ Editor after nine years in 

the role. 

NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow said: “I 

would like to thank Jon for all his hard 

work and for providing so much insight 

to members. I wish him all the best in 

his retirement. 

“We now very much look forward to 

working with both Tim and Jon.” 

Oversight Committee reply 

The NFSP received a reply from Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake in 

April to our letter regarding the governance of Post Office Ltd (PO) and NFSP 

proposals for the establishment of an Oversight Committee to scrutinise 

decision making by PO. 

Minister Hollinrake says he looks forward to receiving a more detailed outline 

of the NFSP’s Oversight Committee proposal to give it full consideration. 


OUTREACH PROVISION 

Post Office Ltd (PO) has always 

had the ability to review all 

Outreach provisions to ensure they 

are value for money for both the 

public and PO. 

The NFSP found out 12 months 

ago that PO was visiting offices and 

imposing changes to the Outreach 

provision without consultation with 

the postmaster, nor paying any 

costs associated with these 

changes. As the NFSP had not been 

officially informed about this, the 

programme was suspended as it 

was deemed a breach of contract 

by PO. 

Following several meetings 

between PO and the NFSP, PO 

agreed that there would now be a 

consultation process with each 

postmaster, and any changes 

introduced would only be with the 

agreement of the postmaster, and 

also that any costs associated with 

the proposal would be borne by PO. 

Nominations sought for 

Midland Region NED 

A vacancy exists for a Non- 

Executive Director to represent the 

Midland Region. The period of office 

shall be to June 2027. 

Nominations are invited from NFSP 

members/Organisational 

Representatives (OR) to be appointed 

as Non-Executive Director for and 

from within the Midland Region. An 

OR exercises company membership 

rights, including the right to be 

elected as a Non-Executive Director, 

of his/her nominating member (e.g. 

voting at AGM); each member must 

appoint an OR. Details and a form to 

appoint your OR are available from 

the NFSP headquarters, Shoreham. 

Nomination forms (also available 

from headquarters, Shoreham) must 

be submitted with an election 

address to the Chief Executive Officer 

by 5pm on Sunday 30 June. As a 

guide, the election address should be 

approximately 350 words. The 

nomination form must be completed 

and signed by the person nominated 

and the proposer and seconder, who 

must also be NFSP members/ORs. 

If more than one nomination is 

received from within the 

ROYAL MAIL TAKEOVER BID 

The parent company of Royal Mail, International Distribution Services, 

has accepted a takeover bid for sole ownership from the EP Group. 

Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch has met with EP Group Chief 

Executive Daniel Křetínský to discuss his plans. The expectation is Royal 

Mail’s headquarters and tax position will remain within the United Kingdom 

for at least five years. 

The NFSP is interested in members’ thoughts. Please write to us by 

emailing communications@nfsp.org.uk 

membership of the Region, it will be 

necessary to hold a ballot. If this is the 

case, election addresses will be 

circulated, along with ballot papers, 

to the members who must also be 

NFSP members/OR of the Region. 

If a candidate is successful in being 

elected by the Region, an induction 

and training day will take place soon 

after at NFSP headquarters, 

Shoreham. 

Civica Election Services will act as 

the Independent Scrutineer for the 

election and also the Independent 

Person to distribute ballot papers. 

They will prepare ballot papers and 

distribute them by post to all 

members in the region by 

Wednesday 31 July. 

Completed ballot papers must be 

received by Civica Election Services 

no later than 10am on Thursday 15 

August. 

If an election is not necessary, the 

name of the elected Non-Executive 

Director will be published in the 

August edition of The 

SubPostmaster. If a ballot is held, the 

results will be notified to the CEO, 

and the person elected will be 

named in the October edition of The 

SubPostmaster. 

Network Transformation podcast 

The NFSP has produced a podcast to 

highlight the Network Transformation (NT) 

programme, which discusses whether 

postmasters were wrongly encouraged to 

convert to NT. 

The podcast features NFSP CEO Calum 

Greenhow, NFSP Compliance and Network 

Support Advisor Keith Richards, plus Martin 

Howe and David Enright, from Howe + Co 

Solicitors. The podcast, titled Solicitors 

investigating whether Post Office Ltd misled 

postmasters over Network Transformation, can 

be viewed on our YouTube channel or by 

scanning the QR code: 


NFSP Interview 

HIGHLY TRAINED AND 

READY TO ADVISE 

POSTMASTERS 

For this edition, Members’ Editor Jon Follenfant 

spoke to Central Operations Director Mel Park, 

who is responsible for the operation of the Branch 

Support Centre at Post Office Ltd’s headquarters 

in London 

Post Office Ltd 

Central Operations 

Director Mel Park 

“Changes to 

recruitment 

and training has 

enabled advisors 

to provide 

accurate 

advice” 

T 

he Branch Support Centre 

(BSC), otherwise known as 

the HelpLine, fields more 

than 4,000 calls a week 

and over 200,000 calls a year from 

post offices across the network. 

An average call takes nine minutes, 

and some can last for more than an 

hour. 

Over the years that I have had my 

office, I have often wondered how 

the BSC works, so last month I had 

the opportunity to meet Mel. 

We started our conversation by 

discussing the fact that some 

postmasters have referred to the BSC 

as the ‘Hell line’ because of the time 

taken to answer calls and the 

variability of advice given. 

Mel joined Post Office Ltd (PO) 

from Boots in October 2022, where 

she had managed the retailer’s 

much larger help function, and was 

quick to challenge this assertion. She 

believes that changes that have been 

put in place to the recruitment and 

training of advisors has enabled 

them to answer calls promptly 

and provide accurate and 

timely advice. 

In day-to-day charge 

of the BSC is Trevor 

Ward. He is assisted 

by three managers 

who supervise the 

recruitment, training, 

quality control and 

operation of the 48 

advisors, seven 

performance coaches and 

nine complaint handlers on the Issue 

Resolution Team. 

In addition, there are 15 advisors 

who predominantly work from home 

dealing with Pick Up & Drop Off 

(PUDO) issues. 

The BSC is separate to other 


specialist helplines such as cash 

management, customer complaints 

and IT. 

Coming back to the time it takes to 

get through, I pointed out that it 

takes around 60 to 70 seconds after 

calling the contact phone number to 

navigate the Intelligent Voice 

Response (IVR) voice prompts before 

a caller can select the option (option 

3), to reach the actual BSC. A further 

series of voice prompts then provides 

the different options from balancing 

through notifying of an office closure. 

The reason why a caller is asked to 

input their branch or FAD code is to 

ensure that those branches who will 

be taking part in NBIT are screened 

to NBIT Centre of Excellence, and a 

particular set of advisors. I pointed 

out that callers are asked to give their 

branch code again when they get to 

talk to an advisor. The removal of this 

duplication has been changed as 

part of a wider review of help 

functions. 

Mel went on to say that 95% of all 

calls were answered - call centres 

apparently never achieve 100% due to 

callers hanging up, 

particularly at very busy 

times - and 87% of 

successful calls were 

answered within 60 

seconds. 

The operation of the 

BSC is reported on at 

various levels through 

the organisation right up 

to board level. Key 

Performance Indicators are 

monitored at regular intervals and 

include the number of calls, the 

response times and major topics. 

Of the calls received, 90% are 

immediately resolved and if a call 

related to a discrepancy cannot be 

resolved immediately it is escalated 

to the Network Support and 

Resolution Team for a more detailed 

review. Potential branch-impacting 

Horizon problems are flagged up for 

any potential IT-related issues. 

Mel stressed the importance of the 

recruitment and training of advisors 

and as the BSC is based in 

Chesterfield, they are recruited in 

that area in groups of five or six. They 

“All new 

recruits receive 

the same counter 

training as new 

postmasters” 

are selected not on their 

previous call centre 

experience but on 

their potential call 

handling skills, paying 

particular attention to 

character, attitude, 

and reliability. 

New recruits are 

initially based in the office 

for the first six months, after 

which hybrid working can be 

arranged, however there is a 

requirement to frequently go into 

the office for ongoing training and 

development. 

All new recruits receive the same 

counter training as new postmasters 

to familiarise themselves with the 

Horizon system, then they receive 

classroom training on an incremental 

basis, taking calls in between training 

sessions in specific areas of the 

business. The idea behind this 

incremental training is that it would 

be extremely difficult to learn and 

remember the whole of the business 

in one go. 

Training covers simple demands 

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NFSP Interview 

for three weeks, 

before new starters 

take calls for four 

weeks before 

returning to the 

classroom to learn the 

more complex balancing 

related demands. Throughout 

all the training, emphasis is placed 

on call handling skills, particularly 

listening skills, which has been 

recognised positively by postmasters 

through satisfaction surveys. 

Advisors are monitored not only 

throughout their training but during 

their time at the BSC to ensure that 

correct advice and guidance is given, 

but also for the business to learn 

from the calls to the centre if 

particular topics arise. 

The basic tools that advisors have 

are the knowledge articles which sit 

in the background on their computer 

system. When a call on a particular 

issue is received, the advisor can 

quickly pull up the background 

knowledge article and answer the 

question. 

The advisors also have to handle a 

mock-up of Horizon without, Mel 

stressed, access to live branch data to 

“Throughout the 

training, emphasis 

is placed on call 

handling skills, 

particularly 

listening skills” 

enable them to guide 

postmasters through 

transactions if 

needed. 

The coaches are 

responsible for ensuring 

that these knowledge 

articles are kept up to date by 

reference to the product teams. 

If an advisor requires further 

information to help a postmaster, 

they can refer to a coach who has 

greater experience on a particular 

topic. 

Similarly, if an advisor feels that a 

knowledge article is incorrect or 

needs updating then they can 

discuss this with their coach who, in 

turn, can take the issue up with the 

appropriate product or accounting 

team. 

This results in a continuous 

virtuous circle of keeping knowledge 

articles current and relevant, which 

enables postmasters to receive 

relevant and accurate help. 

The seven coaches also act as 

mentors for advisors who need 

additional support. They are also 

experts on particular products and 

services and deliver product specific 

induction training. 

It is no surprise that the busiest 

times for the BSC, beside a spike in 

calls for a particular topic such as a 

stamp issue or slow running of 

Horizon, is 9am to 11.30am daily and 

on branch balancing days of 

Wednesday and Thursday evening. 

The most prevalent calls are about 

balancing, stock, and mails queries 

and the “how do I” (carry out a 

particular transaction). 

These calls may highlight 

consideration for additional support 

for individual postmasters on a 

particular topic, changes to training 

materials, or a wider dissemination of 

information to the network. 

Other requests received have 

included a customer enquiring how 

to send a human body to another 

town as they felt the funeral director’s 

fee for transporting the body was too 

much, a police officer wanting to 

send a frozen rabbit through the 

post as an exhibit for a case, a 

customer wanting to know how 

many houses there were in his village 

as he wanted to send something to 

everyone who lived there, and much 

more. 


The NET update 

JUNE 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 

ROYAL MAIL 

T24 AND T48 UPDATE 

Royal Mail is still working on a fix for the 

issue affecting track and trace data in some 

cases. This means that the rollout has paused 

until a ‘fix’ is successfully implemented. 

SPECIAL DELIVERY POUCHES 

We were made aware in early April that 

these were out of stock in Swindon branches 

and only available to order again towards the 

end of May. The NFSP is pursuing Post Office 

Ltd (PO) and Royal Mail (RM) for compensation 

for the loss of remuneration to postmasters. 

IT UPDATE 

PIN PAD ERROR 

The NET has raised the issue around 

the incorrect messaging on the PIN pad 

screen. PO is continuing to monitor 

whether the ‘fix’ implemented in the 

trial offices is working before it is rolled 

out to the full network. 

SYSTEM SLOWNESS 

A fix was uploaded in December for 

the system slowness issue and seems to 

have significantly improved the 

response times for transactions. If you 

are having problems, please report to 

Branch Support Centre or via Branch 

Hub and get a reference number. 

BLUE SCREEN ISSUES 

If any postmaster experiences a blue 

screen situation, they should contact 

BSC to authorise a reboot as in the 

majority of cases this will fix the 

problem. 

DROP & COLLECT 

Drop & Collect continues to be an issue of 

concern to the NFSP as PO is intent on rapidly 

expanding this part of the network to maintain its 

overall numbers with no restrictions on the 

services the retailer offers for other carriers. 

This is to the detriment of the current network 

as PO should adhere to the restrictions policy as 

per its contract. Effectively this is creating a twotier 

network. 

If any postmaster has a concern regarding the 

opening of a Drop & Collect near them, they must 

log a complaint with PO as per instructions in 

their notification letter. Once a nearby Drop & 

Collect has been open for six months, postmasters 

can request a review by the appeals panel if they 

feel their business has been impacted. 

14 

The SubPostmaster June 2024

SHAPING YOUR 

FUTURE 

Nine pages dedicated to the 2024 Annual Conference 

and Retail Event, covering this year’s big discussions, 

learnings and key takeaways 

Delegates from across the United 

Kingdom assembled for the NFSP 

Annual Conference and Retail Event 

at the University of Warwick in 

Coventry on 11-13 May. 

The Conference kicked off with the 

Retail Event on the Sunday morning 

where several new retail categories 

were displayed for the first time. 

In the afternoon, NFSP Chief 

Executive Officer Calum Greenhow 

addressed delegates when he spoke 

about an Oversight Committee and 

the future of the post office network, 

the culture within Post Office Ltd 

(PO), the vision of the NFSP, and 

more, before a Q&A session took 

place. 

The Timpson Group’s Darren Burns 

then spoke about Upside Down 

Management and the culture in 

Timpson, before a Banquet Dinner in 

the evening. 

Monday was headlined by Your 

Questions, a Q&A panel debate 

which featured Postal Affairs 

Minister Kevin Hollinrake, PO Chief 

Executive Nick Read, Calum and 

Darren, with NFSP Chair Tim 

Boothman chairing the event. 

Minister Hollinrake said: “I really 

enjoyed it. Understandably people 

gave me a constructive challenge 

about where we are and where we 

need to go. 

“But we heard everything people 

said and we’re 

very keen to 

make sure that 

the Post Office 

isn’t just seen as 

Kevin Hollinrake 

an organisation 

that has a past. 

It’s also got a very bright future.” 

The new format received positive 

feedback from delegates and 

provided the opportunity to ask 

important questions. 

Breakout sessions in the afternoon 

gave members the chance to talk 

about how they see the future of the 

network plus the opportunity to 

share best practice and brainstorm 

ideas.


Monday morning of Conference featured Your Questions, a 

panel Q&A session, in which postmasters had the chance to put 

their most pressing questions about the future of the post office 

network to Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake, Post Office 

Ltd (PO) Chief Executive Nick Read, NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow 

and Darren Burns, of the Timpson Group. This session ran for 

over 90 minutes and was chaired by NFSP Chair Tim Boothman. 

Here are some of the key topics which were covered: 

BRAND RESTORATION 

Kevin Hollinrake: “I get the fact there 

has been damage to the brand at the 

centre – at government level, and at 

shareholder level, in terms of the way 

PO has been managed in the past. 

“We’re dealing with that through 

the Horizon Inquiry, we’re dealing 

with that through compensation and 

doing what we’ve never done before 

which is overturning convictions 

through statute. More than 700 

people will quite rightly have their 

names cleared on that basis. 

“By the end of this year, most of 

those things will be out of the way, 

and the Inquiry will report early next 

year. 

“We’ve not got a damaged brand 

here that we need to change 

somehow. We just need to invest 

properly in that brand. 

“It’s my view that at a local level, 

post offices are very highly valued 

parts of our communities. As long as 

they are valuable in terms of 

profitability, then they will have a 

value in terms of running a business 

and selling a business.” 

Nick Read: “There is an enduring 

brand here which has lasted for 360 

years. No question we’re in a bad and 

tight spot at the moment but I believe 

we will come through this. 

“I spend a lot of time talking to 

corporate businesses about how long 

it takes to recover from the nadir, 

when you’re right in it. People talk 

about two to three years to rejuvenate 

and regenerate. 

“We’ve got a Minister and a 

government that wants the post 

office to succeed.” 

BANKING FRAMEWORK 4 

AND AUTOMATION 

Nick Read: “If banks are saving £3 

billion a year from their physical 

estates then that responsibility that 

has been handed to the post office 

needs to be paid for. 

“If you look at the reduction in costs 

of running a bank branch versus 

running either a Banking Hub or an 

enhanced office, it’s something like a 

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90% reduction in cost. 

“Some of that saving has to come to 

the post office. That’s part of our 

Banking Framework 4 negotiations, 

but banks will push back hard. We will 

be expecting banks to support and 

pay for automation to enhance post 

offices, in terms of security 

automation particularly. 

“We’re also looking at mails and 

parcels automation and how that will 

play a part. 

“And NBIT, we anticipate that we will 

reduce our operating costs both in 

branch and in the centre by anything 

up to 50% by introducing a system 

that’s going to genuinely and 

dramatically reduce the processing 

time and cost time associated with 

running a branch. 

“That’s a core part of the way 

forward and we have to embrace it. It 

is your single biggest cost, and we 

need to make sure that we make it as 

simple and as uncomplex as possible.” 

STRATEGIC REVIEW 

Nick Read: “We’ve had a new 

appointment of a PO Chair (Nigel 

Railton) and he is very keen to do a 

strategic review of the business. 

“It’s very evident that we will have a 

new administration of some 

description in the next six to eight 

months or so. 

“With that will come a new funding 

investment in PO and at the same 

time we will conclude the Inquiry, so 

there is a real necessity to do a 

strategic review. 

“As it stands today, I am contracted, 

and I am instructed by statute to have 

11,500 branches across the network. 

That’s not going to change any time 

soon until we have some form of 

consultation or some change of 

statute. 

“We shouldn’t expect today to have 

a different size and shape of network. 

What we are doing is trying to make 

sure that we meet demand within the 

context of 11,500 branches.” 

GOVERNMENT SERVICES 

Kevin Hollinrake: “We recognise that 

not everybody wants to shop online. 

But the reality is consumer habits are 

changing with the rise of Amazon. It’s 

not us who are allowing Amazon to 

deliver parcels to your home, that’s 

what people choose to do and we as a 

government won’t stand in the way of 

that. 

“We’ve got to try to find a future for 

the high street with the opportunities 

that do exist. But the reality is things 

have changed, and I get my fishing 

licence online now. 

“There are opportunities around 

banking services and parcels. There 

are physical interactions that some 

consumers still do need. 

“But we can’t dictate to consumers 

where they purchase these services.” 

Calum Greenhow: “Consumer habits 

are changing but it’s also being 

directed by chief executives and 

shareholders who are looking to 

reduce their costs so they can increase 

their profit. 

“Back in 2005, income to 

government from post office services 

was £596m. Today it’s £20m to £30m. 

We’ve lost over half a billion pounds. 

“Online is getting harder and more 

frustrating. A post office brings social 

interaction. People have to leave their 

home, go out into the fresh air and 

speak to someone, so post offices 

have massive physical and mental 

health benefits on that basis.” 

FUTURE OF THE NETWORK 

Calum Greenhow: “There is a 

phenomenal trust in postmasters, and 

a phenomenal understanding from 

the general public as to what you’ve 

experienced. 

“But there needs to be a 

fundamental change in the whole 

structure so that the general public 

and you as postmasters can have 

confidence about your businesses. 

“Would any of you tell any of your 

friends to invest in a post office? That’s 

what we need to change. 

“If we can change that so you’re 

shouting out that PO is a fantastic 

brand to be involved in, a fantastic 

company to be with, then people are 

going to want to come into that 

business.” 

You can watch the full Your 

Questions segment on the NFSP 

YouTube channel. 

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THE FUTURE 

IN FOCUS 

During our Conference, Breakout Sessions were held to discuss topics such as the future of the 

network and the role of the NFSP, inviting the valuable insights and opinions of members. Key 

topics were discussed by more than 200 postmasters, and action points have been highlighted 

below which the NFSP will look to implement throughout the upcoming months. 

ROLE OF THE NFSP 

What does the NFSP do well? 

Provides protection, support, and 

guidance. Represents postmasters in 

negotiations with Post Office Ltd 

(PO) and Government. 

Easy to get hold of in times of 

need. The NFSP listens, provides 

support, and keeps members up to 

date with important issues. 

HR support via HR4UK. 

Mails Segregation Team offers 

valuable support. 

Retail support. Safescan’s 

discounted rates and member 

benefits with partners were 

highlighted. 

Network & Engagement Team are 

always on hand to listen and help. 

Communication via The 

SubPostmaster magazine, WhatsApp 

groups, and the weekly newsletter. 

The Advocacy project and NFSP+. 

Support through the Benevolent 

Fund. 

What would make the NFSP 

better? 

More branch visits from the CEO 

and Board to engage with members. 

Input from members on the future 

direction of the network and the 

NFSP. 

New faces at Board level and there 

should be a maximum term. 

More retail information at regional 

meetings and more retail partners. 

An NFSP forum where members 

can share their experience and 

expertise, and where questions can 

be asked. 

More power in negotiations with 

PO. 

More training for members and an 

education programme for new 

members. 

Working with other representative 

groups to strengthen postmaster 

voices. 

If you were to work alongside NFSP 

CEO Calum Greenhow for a day, 

what would you do to improve the 

NFSP? 

Look to get a better deal with PO 

for remuneration and constantly 

push this as the number one priority. 

Talk about culture: Why are so 

many offices struggling to survive 

with ever depleting remuneration, 

whilst PO employees’ salaries 

increase with inflation? 

Provide support for incoming and 

leaving postmasters. 

Keep members in the loop with 

discussions with PO. 

Organise NFSP Roadshows around 

the country. 

FUTURE OF THE POST 

OFFICE NETWORK 

How do you think the governance 

of PO needs to change in order to 

protect your investment? 

Greater transparency across all 

decisions. 

Greater postmaster involvement in 

decision making. 

Reduction in management levels 

and reduce central costs. 

Upside Down Management. 

The PO Board should be run by the 

people who own it. 

Please share any alternative ideas 

you may have about how to 

safeguard the future of the post 

office network? 

Upside Down Management 

Introduce enhanced technology in 

branches, like NBIT. 

New Government products and 

services. 

An Oversight Committee even after 

Mutualisation to ensure 

accountability. 

Speak to local MPs and put 

pressure on local authorities to 

support post offices, through council 

tax bills and council rates relief. 

New remuneration model. 

Reduce the size of the network. 

Sell off Crown offices. 


LOBBYING AND 

CAMPAIGNING 

What do you believe should be the 

NFSP’s priority lobbying and 

campaigning issues? 

Negotiate with PO to get 

maximum remuneration. 

Business rates. 

Securing postmasters’ future. 

Governance and oversight. 

Transparency to PO revenue 

structure and PO cost reduction. 

Retail crime. 

How would you like to be more 

involved in future lobbying and 

campaigning? 

Local and national petitions. 

Engagement and meetings with 

local MPs. 

Local workshops and meetings. 

Organise focus groups, a retail 

crime group, for example. 

NFSP COMMUNICATIONS 

AND ENGAGEMENT 

How do you currently receive news 

and communications from the 

NFSP? What would you like to see 

more/less of? 

Communication comes through 

the weekly newsletter, WhatsApp, 

The SubPostmaster magazine, 

podcasts and Teams meetings. 

More face-to-face meetings. 

Retail success stories from 

postmasters would be informative. 

One retail meeting per quarter. 

What ideas or thoughts do you 

have on how the NFSP can better 

engage and communicate with 

members? 

More social events, branch visits 

and face-to-face meetings to 

improve engagement and to 

encourage new members. 

Members should be aware of every 

topic the NFSP discusses with PO. 

Share good news stories, like the 

Benevolent Fund and postmaster 

achievements. 

Reply to all issues which arise for 

members, even if they cannot be 

resolved. 

Videos to promote post offices. 

SOCIAL MEDIA 

What are you currently doing on 

social media to promote your post 

office? 

Posts about Evri and DPD Pick Up 

and Drop Off. 

Promoting banking and post office 

opening times. 

Sharing information on 

community pages about services. 

Paid adverts to highlight the post 

office on Facebook. 

Promoting Google Reviews as 

customer feedback is important. 

Tag, share and like competitions. 

What could you do differently and 

how can the NFSP and PO support 

you with this? 

Share post office and retail success 

stories. 

Offer social media training. 

Look at branches who promote 

their business successfully on social 

media. 

Form a Facebook group with other 

local businesses. 

REMUNERATION AND 

COUNTER SERVICES 

What ideas do you have to bring in 

new services and influence 

positive change? 

Same remuneration for all models. 

Payment of fines. 

Children’s saving accounts and 

current accounts. 

Amazon needs to be integrated 

into Horizon. 

PO to become a full bank for 

consumers and SME customers. 

Local post offices should have the 

security and capacity to store more 

cash. 

Introduce a fixed fee for providing 

bank services. The money banks save 

should be reorganised. 

What are your thoughts on Drop & 

Collect, Enhanced Post Offices and 

Banking Hubs? 

D&C is good where a branch is 

closed, but PayZone and D&C outlets 

can also be a worry. 

Banking Hubs are positive if given 

to the nearest postmaster. 

It needs to be promoted that post 

offices offer banking services. 

NFSP ACTION POINTS 

NFSP CEO Calum Greenhow to 

visit postmasters around the United 

Kingdom. If you would like Calum to 

visit your branch, email: 

communications@nfsp.org.uk 

The NFSP will discuss issues raised 

with PO and Government, and feed 

back as much information as we can. 

The NFSP Communications Team 

will produce guides on subjects 

which postmasters have requested 

help and support for. A social media 

guide is currently being produced. 

Individual skillsets and postmaster 

success stories will be shared, so 

fellow postmasters can consider new 

and different ideas. 

The idea of NFSP Roadshows 

around the country will be discussed 

at the June Board Meeting. 

Focus Groups will be set up. If you 

are interested in sharing your 

expertise, email 


Regional and national meetings 

will be discussed at the June Board 

Meeting. 

We have taken on board that some 

postmasters prefer hybrid meetings, 

whilst several members at 

Conference would like more face-toface 

meetings. 

The NFSP will look to speak to 

other postmaster representative 

groups about the future of the 

network. 



WORKING TOGETHER 

FOR A BETTER FUTURE 

Calum Greenhow and Jon Follenfant 

Calum Greenhow and Jayshree Punatar 

Calum Greenhow and Bharat Visani 

NFSP Chair Tim Boothman 

opened this year’s NFSP Conference 

by talking about the future of the 

post office network and how 

everybody needs to work together. 

Tim Boothman 

Tim said: “What a year it has been 

since the last Conference. The two 

main reasons are the ongoing public 

Inquiry into the horrific revelations of 

the last 20-odd years but also the ITV 

drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office. 

“It’s very good that it has been 

brought to the public’s attention and 

it’s important all victims are given 

full redress and compensation for 

the horrific way they were treated 

before the group litigation order. 

“But there is another side to it and 

not many people are looking forward 

to the future. What happens when 

the Inquiry is finished, and all 

compensation is paid? 

“What about the network of today 

and the network of tomorrow? 

“It could be argued the past Post 

Office Ltd (PO) board and general 

executives failed postmasters. There’s 

plenty of evidence of that but who is 

coming up with the way forward. 

“I think it should be you 

Calum Greenhow 

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(postmasters). That’s the reason you 

are here because you care about the 

post office network going forward. 

“This is the first day, the start of 

your future. We have to start thinking 

differently, about the network we 

want. It’s our investment in this 

network which will shape what it 

looks like in two, five, 10 years’ time. 

We are all in this together, only unity 

and collaboration will bring about 

the necessary change this network 

requires.” 

Chief Executive Officer Calum 

Greenhow reviewed the past year 

but also looked ahead to the future 

of the post office network when he 

addressed delegates at Conference. 

Calum was delighted to see more 

than 200 postmasters in attendance 

this year, with 70 postmasters 

attending for the first time. He said: 

“A united collective of postmasters 

working in and through the NFSP 

can ensure that whatever 

Government is in power listens and 

understands the needs of over 7,000 

Darren Burns 

small independent businesspeople 

who own and operate the network of 

11,500 post offices across the country. 

“This united collective of 

postmasters can influence PO for the 

good of the network.” 

Calum also spoke about the 

culture of PO, toxicity in the network, 

the vision of the NFSP, the Horizon 

Inquiry, an Oversight Committee, 

and much more, before a Q&A 

session with delegates. 

You can read more on the NFSP 

website or watch Calum’s speech on 

YouTube by 

clicking on the 

QR code here: 

Keynote 

speaker Darren 

Burns gave an 

inspiring and 

engaging 

speech and 

highlighted how Upside Down 

Management is key to the Timpson 

Group’s whole business. 

Darren, the Director of Diversity 

and Inclusion at the Timpson Group, 

spoke about the culture at Timpson 

and said the ‘kings and queens’ of 

their business are the people who 

serve customers. 

He said: “The biggest change in 

our culture came in the late 1990s 

when Sir John Timpson, who is our 

current Chairman, coined the term 

Upside Down Management. 

“The basic premise was that most 

conventional businesses are shaped 

like a pyramid with the most 

important people sitting at the top 

– the decision-makers, the board of 

directors and at the bottom you’ve 

got the low skilled, low paid 

colleagues. 

"What we decided to do was turn 

that on its head and the most 

important people in our business 

were the people at the top. 

“You can imagine it’s like an 

inverted pyramid, so the kings and 

queens of our business are the 

people serving customers, cutting 

keys, repairing shoes, repairing 

watches. 

“Everything senior managers do in 

the business is to make the lives of 

our colleagues who are working in 

our branches easier.” 

Darren also spoke about Timpson’s 

recruitment policy, how the 

company invests in colleague 

development, a Happy Index to 

ensure colleague support, how 

unhappy colleagues are helped to 

find new jobs, and much more. 

Three long-serving NFSP 

members were presented with 

honorary life memberships by NFSP 

CEO Calum Greenhow at the 

Banquet Dinner on the Sunday 

evening. 

Bharat Visani was Midland region 

NED for nine years before stepping 

down earlier this year. He was also 

Branch Secretary for Leicester before 

becoming a NED. 

Jon Follenfant was Regional 

Secretary/Treasurer for the South 

West region and also Members’ 

Editor of The SubPostmaster 

magazine for the past nine years. 

Jayshree Punatar has been a 

stalwart of the NFSP for a number of 

years and is Regional Treasurer of the 

South East region. She has also been 

a huge support to NED Saj Hussain. 

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Postmasters spoke positively about this year’s Annual Conference with 

the Your Questions segment a particular highlight from the two days. 

This year’s theme was Shaping Your Future and numerous discussions 

were held around the Post Office brand, the culture in the post office 

network, the future strategy of the network and much more. 

Both new attendees and regular delegates spoke to the NFSP about 

how they found this year’s event and how the post office network can 

move forward in the future. 

Zaf 

Rushnaiwala: 

“My first 

Conference 

was really 

informative, and it was 

really good for postmasters 

who attended for the first 

time. 

“There was a lot of 

insight through the 

speakers and also the 

Question & Answer time, 

plus the opportunity to 

network with fellow 

postmasters was great.” 

Dhaval 

Gosaliya: 

“It was good. 

You only get 

the chance 

once a year to see all your 

colleagues and fellow 

members and to get to see 

what’s going on within the 

business, challenges Post 

Office Ltd (PO) and 

postmasters face, whilst 

also challenging the PO, 

the Government and the 

NFSP. 

“We have to work 

together with PO, the 

Government and with the 

NFSP to make sure we 

have a bright future.” 

Alison De 

Lara: 

“I really 

enjoyed it. I’ve 

got a lot out of 

it, met lots of fellow 

postmasters, done a lot of 

networking and it’s been 

very useful.” 

Andrew 

Phipson: 

“I took a lot 

out of it. 

“I loved the 

new Question Time format, 

and we had the 

opportunity to ask 

important questions to not 

only (PO Chief Executive) 

Nick Read but also the 

Postal Affairs Minister 

Kevin Hollinrake about the 

future of the network and 

the long-term planning 

about where PO is going. 

“The current focus is on 

the (Horizon) Inquiry which 

is only right for that to 

come to a conclusion later 

on this year. 

“But the questioning 

should be around the 

future of the network 

moving forward and how 

that affects postmasters.” 

Paul Money: 

“I found the 

Conference 

excellent. It 

was good to 

catch up with a load of 

colleagues I hadn’t seen 

for a while and also get to 

the bottom of some of the 

issues regarding 

remuneration, how our 

culture needs to alter or 

not and also to hear other 

people’s comments on 

what is happening in the 

network.” 

Tim Allen: 

“It was a really 

interesting 

Conference at 

a good venue, 

and I especially enjoyed 

the Q&A debate. 

“The retail event was 

great. There was a nice mix 

of products from gift card 

suppliers to banks, and I 

met suppliers who I don’t 

use but could add value to 

my business. It was also 

good to see the NBIT 

terminal as it gave us the 

chance to ask some 

questions about it.” 

Ying Shi: 

“It was 

absolutely 

brilliant. I got 

a new supplier 

from the Retail Event and 

also met fellow 

postmasters who I 

exchanged ideas with. 

“I really enjoyed it, and it 

was at a lovely location.” 

Dipesh 

Modha: 

“I want to be a 

better 

postmaster; I 

want to be a better retailer 

and a better businessman. 

“I want to get those skills 

from here to improve a bit 

and to then use those skills 

to apply to my business.” 

Jon 

Follenfant: 

“The new 

format was 

refreshing, 

and the Q&A 

went very well. It was good 

to have somebody 

independent outside of PO 

and the Minister to 

actually take questions 

and to reflect on what 

happens in other 

organisations. 

“While we have to help 

everybody involved in the 

past, we really do need to 

think about the future, 

where PO is going, and 

where we’re going to make 

our money in the future.” 

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June Edition - Biscolata.indd 1 21/05/2024 10:47:40 

22 18 


RETAIL EVENT 

A SUCCESS 

This year’s Retail Event kicked 

off the Annual Conference and was 

attended by many of the NFSP’s 

retail partners, with new retailers 

in attendance and a good cross 

section of categories represented 

including banking, utilities, and 

convenience, whilst a great range 

of varied greeting card companies 

displayed their latest products with 

cards to suit every post office. 

Matt Stanley, Head of Buying and 

Purchasing at IPS, was pleased with 

how the event went. 

He said: “The postmaster is at the 

heart of everything we do at IPS, so 

being able to present products in 

front of them is really great. 

“There was a lot of interest in our 

products, and we’ve taken on board 

all of the feedback from postmasters 

in developing our range.” 

James Fox, of H&H, also praised this 

year’s event and said: “It was very 

good, and we saw a lot of 

postmasters who we’d never met 

before. We’ve introduced them to the 

different ranges of impulse gifting 

which we supply.” 

The NFSP’s Senior Retail Advisor, 

Amanda Pedley, was in attendance 

promoting the retail support she can 

offer members. This includes advice 

through retail health checks via video 

link or in person, advice on what 

products to stock and how to market 

your business. 

Contact Amanda by emailing 

amanda.pedley@nfsp.org.uk 

Post Office Ltd also had a 

significant presence with various 

displays, including the new NBIT 

terminal which allowed postmasters 

to directly address their questions 

regarding the Horizon replacement 

system to PO representatives. 

Dipesh Modha was on hand to 

explain how social media can help 

postmasters grow their business. 

He said: It was a very fruitful event. 

Social media is a skill, but 

postmasters are now beginning to 

understand the value of that and 

how important it is for their business 

to grow.” 

NFSP Commercial and Retail 

Director Robert Clack was delighted 

with how the event went and said: “It 

was great to see so many 

postmasters engaging with our retail 

suppliers throughout the event. 

“My thanks go to all the retail 

partners, PO representatives, 

delegates and the NFSP Retail Team 

for making this year’s event such a 

success. 

“The importance of retail has 

become greater than ever, and we 

received positive feedback from both 

members and our suppliers. 

“Our retail sector suppliers are 

experts in their field so know what’s 

coming and can offer some real help 

to postmasters. 

“If there’s any members who need 

help or support with their retail 

section, please get in touch. Our 

team will be happy to help you.” 


NFSP mails support 

GETTING MAILS SEGREGATION RIGHT: 

LETTER/LARGE LETTER MAIL BAG 

The errors that are stopping 

you from getting full payment 

for mails segregation are: 

Franked/Meter mail being found 

1 in the Letter/Large Letter mail bag 

Letter/Large Letter mail bags not 

2 being labelled or incorrectly 

labelled 

Great news! We're thrilled to share that you've achieved 

two out of the three mail bag targets, earning you an 

additional £2.7 million for mails segregation. 

You were just 0.4% away from hitting the 95% target for 

the Letter/Large Letter mail bag. 

In addition to supporting 

members with Pick Up & Drop Off 

(PUDO), our goal this year is to help 

you achieve all three mail bag 

compliance targets, ensuring that 

you receive the full payment for 

mail segregation and the £1m 

bonus. 

After looking at last year's data, 

we noticed that most of the errors 

when sorting Letter/Large Letter 

mail happened in the smaller 

offices. 

There are a few reasons for this, 

for example: not enough space, the 

volume of mail you handle, and not 

being familiar with the types of 

mail transactions being handled. 

Priority mail incorrectly placed in 

3 the Letter/Large Letter mail bag 

The good news is that we can easily spot and prevent these errors. 

Don’t forget to check out the Letter/Large Letter guide by scanning 

the QR code provided, below. It's really helpful for understanding the 

right way to handle Franked/Meter, Letter/Large Letters and how to 

label mail bags correctly. Remember, Priority mail should never go 

into a Letter/Large Letter mail bag; it should be kept separate and 

handed to the collection office in a mail bag and 

secured around the neck with a blue tie. 

Could you also chat with your team to make 

sure everyone is on board with these 

guidelines? Taking a little extra time to review 

and follow the correct guidance will give you 

the best chance at hitting all three mail bag 

targets next year. Thanks for your help! 


GETTING PUDO RIGHT: 

HOW TO ACHIEVE FULL REMUNERATION FOR DPD PUDO WORK 

During our visits to member branches, we’ve noticed that over 25% of our members haven’t 

received full payment for scanning DPD parcels in and/or out of their office. 

If your branch offers the DPD service, please make sure that you and your team follow this fourstep 

procedure to ensure that you are not missing out on any remuneration. 

Scan all DPD items 

1 into Horizon as soon 

as you receive them 

It is important to scan 

the items into Horizon as 

soon as you receive 

delivery from the DPD 

driver or, as an absolute 

minimum, on the day of 

delivery. 

Note – Even if the DPD 

items of mail have already 

appeared in your 

inventory prior to you 

scanning, you must still 

scan each parcel. 

Storing DPD 

2 items of mail 

Store safely and 

securely DPD 

items of mail 

awaiting 

customer pick up 

Note – Best 

practice would 

be to store items 

of mail by carrier 

and then by 

name/date 

received. 

Customer collection 

3 When the Customer 

arrives in your office with 

their PickUp Pass to collect 

their DPD item of mail, scan 

their PickUp Pass and locate 

the item. 

Note - If the customer 

doesn’t have their PickUp 

Pass for identification, they 

require two forms of identity 

one from each of the two 

groups identified, right. 

4 

Scanning the DPD item of mail 

out to the customer 

Scan the DPD item label and hand 

the item of mail to your customer. 

Note – If you have correctly recorded 

the customer Pick-Up and scanned 

the DPD item there will be two 

entries in the basket. Select settle 

and issue the item. 

If you do not have these two entries 

in the basket you will not receive 

your correct remuneration. Please 

go back and try again. 

GROUP 1 – Passport or Driving 

Licence. 

GROUP 2 – Utility bill or bank 

card (Driving Licence can be 

offered from Group 2 ID if not 

shown as Group 1). 

Locate the DPD item of mail 

on Horizon and in your office 

and record the identification 

shown on Horizon 

If you require further training or support please email mailssupport@nfsp.org.uk 


Retail Post Office in focus 

COMMUNITY 

FOCUSED 

Gary Walters BEM this year celebrates 40 

years as the postmaster of Menheniot Post 

Office. He tells Simon King about his career, 

which saw him start, aged 18, as the 

youngest postmaster in the country 

ary Walters, like his father 

G 

before him, was born in the 

village of Menheniot, which 

is located around two miles 

south-east of Liskeard in Cornwall. 

His father, a builder, bought the shop 

when Gary was five years old and his 

mother worked in the shop, with Gary 

helping out on weekends and after 

school, before taking on the business at 

18. 

Importance of the Post Office 

“It’s very important to the community 

to have a post office and shop, as it’s 

the focal point of the village,” Gary said. 

“Everyone comes to meet and chat, 

and I know most people. 

“It’s the place where you come to 

book the village hall, and where you 

buy tickets for the pantomime. I ran 

Scouts in the village for 10 years and I’ve 

been the treasurer of the hall since the 

late 1980s.” 

Gary said being a subpostmaster is a 

rewarding role. 

“Everybody seems to like me, and 

everybody knows me,” he said. “If 

somebody wants something, they only 

have to ask, and I’ll do it. Postmasters 

are seen as a pillar of the community, 

and I’ve been here all my life.” 

Outreach, Home Service and 

Partner Sites 

When the Network Transformation 

programme started in 2012, Gary was 

selected as an Outreach provider. 

“I started off with three Outreach 

services and over the next six months, I 

ended up with a dozen or so – it didn’t 

take very long to get to a dozen,” Gary 

said. “The most I’ve 

ever had is 21, but 

now it’s coming 

down.” 

Gary currently runs 

13 Outreach services 

in Darite, Downderry, 

East Taphouse, Kingsand, 

Lostwithiel, Millbrook, 

Pensilva, Rilla Mill, St Neot, 

Tregadillett, Tetcott, Tideford and 

Trewidland. 

“I’ve got three Outreach kits which 

we go out with to village halls,” Gary 

said. “Three of the kits are out three 

days a week; and two of the kits are out 

on the other two days in the week.” 

Gary is currently in negotiations with 

Post Office Ltd (PO), and he believes 

that some of the Outreach services will 

be cut. 

In addition to the Outreach services 

he provides, Gary also offers a Home 

Service to a number of customers. 

“I still have customers using the 

home service,” he said. “Through the 

DDA procedure that PO has, I can cash 

cheques for customers in their home.” 

Gary originally had six Partner Sites, 

and he now runs two Partner Sites in 

Polruan and Lerryn. 

“I fund them, I look after them, I pay 

them, and PO pays me,” Gary said. “In 

theory, they’re my employees, but 

they’ve got their own shop.” 

Changing retail industry 

Gary is a Spar customer, and he gets 

his goods from Appleby Westward. He 

said that during his time in business, 

the retail sector has changed 

dramatically. 

“Postmasters 

are seen as a 

pillar of the 

community. I’ve 

been here my 

whole life” 

“John Irish CBE 

pioneered the ‘8 to 

Late’ concept in Spar, 

which brought 

trading in the 

evening,” Gary said. 

“Before that it was 

always 9am-5.30pm on 

Mondays, Tuesdays, 

Thursdays and Fridays; 

Wednesdays and Saturdays were both 

half days and on Sundays we wouldn’t 

open at all. 

“We closed at 10pm for a while, then 

we moved to 9pm. Through Covid we 

closed at 8pm and now we’ve settled 

on 7pm.” 

Gary pointed out that 40 years ago, 

the Walters family used to have two 

shops in the village – the post office 

and grocery store, while the other store 

was non-food, selling gifts, toys, ladies 

underwear, gardening items, paint 

brushes, pans, and plastic bowls. 

“It was the place everybody came to 

in this community, they didn’t go 

anywhere else,” Gary said. “Retailing 

has changed massively. Years ago, 

there were no out-of-town 

supermarkets, and now some of these 

include post offices.” 

Gary said that chilled is the most 

popular category in his store and milk 

is the biggest seller. 

“Retail is very important,” he said. 

“The village shop sells many things and 

the post office is part of that mix – if 

you want a meal, you can get a meal 

here.” 

Banking takes off 

Banking has become popular in Gary’s 

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are on it, and instead of paying 100% for 

a building and the cost of the whole 

thing, they pay 20% because they share 

it. 

“Postmasters are happy because 

they’re getting paid, and the banks cut 

their costs by 80% and still have 

visibility in the towns.” 

branch over the last few years. 

“In Liskeard, we lost NatWest about 

three or four years ago, Barclays and 

HSBC both left last year before 

Christmas, and Lloyds is going soon, 

leaving just one bank left: Santander. 

“Banking Hubs are coming in, and I 

can see in the future that PO is going 

to have a Banking Hub in every town in 

the country.” 

Gary said that he applied for a 

2 Half Page Retail Support Ad June SPM.pdf 13 22/05/2024 20:06 

Menheniot Post Office 

postmaster Gary Walters, 

Sarah Walters (left) and 

Sarah Harris (right) 

Banking Hub in Looe, which is 10 miles 

away, but was turned down. 

He said: “Saltash is getting a Banking 

Hub now, and I think there’s one going 

to be in Bodmin – if Santander pulls 

out of Liskeard, and then Liskeard gets 

a Banking Hub, that will mean every 

town around me has a Banking Hub. 

“These Post Office Banking Hubs are 

quite cheap to run for the banks, 

because they share the costs. All banks 

The British Empire Medal 

In the New Year’s Honours 2022, Gary 

was awarded the British Empire Medal 

for services to the community of 

Menheniot. 

Gary said: “I did not expect it. At the 

end of November 2021, I got a letter 

from the Government, informing me 

that I’d been nominated for a BEM; I 

wasn’t able to tell anyone, but I 

confided in my wife – I was so proud.” 

Back in the village, Gary received 

many cards and good wishes from 

customers, however, on New Year’s Day 

2022 – the day the announcement was 

made – Gary had Covid, so was unable 

to share the good news with his 

customers. 

“The community was overjoyed that 

I’d been honoured,” Gary said. 

He received the BEM in May 2022 

Retail Support 

Programme 

To grow your business 

“ 

Sales have increased by around 50% at 

least so definitely happy with that. The 

retail advice and support was amazing, it 

definitely gave me a place to start and 

some really good ideas to think about, I 

would recommend all postmasters use the 

service! 

“ 

Amelia Elson – Tower Hill Post Office 

BOOK A VISIT 

FREE personalised Retail Health Checks 

via store visits or video calls for NFSP members. 

with Amanda Pedley, NFSP Senior Retail Advisor. 

Scan the QR code or call 01273 452324. 

February 2024 The SubPostmaster 23

Retail Post Office in focus 

system in place. When we had 

deliveries, we had to block off aisles and 

restock, one aisle at a time.” 

Social media 

Gary concedes that he is not very good 

at updating social media platforms. 

“We have a Facebook page for the 

shop, but I’m not completely sure how 

to update it,” he said. “Spar will put on 

promotions every week automatically, 

and we can add stuff to it; we’re also 

being encouraged by Spar to have an 

Instagram account too.” 

from Colonel Edward 

Bolitho, Lord- 

Lieutenant of 

Cornwall, at County 

Hall in Truro. 

Two weeks later, 

Gary had an 

invitation to a 

Buckingham Palace 

garden party. 

Looking forward, Gary 

said that his children Barney, a 

professional photographer; and Charlie, 

a professional chef, who featured on 

BBC TV’s MasterChef: The 

Professionals just before Christmas, 

have no interest in taking over the 

family business. 

Fundraising for good causes 

Gary is quick to point out that when it 

comes to fundraising, he is part of a 

team effort. 

“I run the village bar as a volunteer,” 

he said. “We’ve raised money for the 

hall, and we’ve just been awarded a 

£226,000 grant to build new stores, 

new disabled toilets and a new roof. 

“We support anything going on in 

the village and we’ll always sell the 

“Managing a 

100% increase 

in sales 

overnight was a 

challenge” 

tickets from the shop, 

whether that’s for 

fireworks, the carnival, 

or the theatre 

pantomime, and 

raffle prizes at school 

fairs.” 

The Covid 

pandemic 

During the pandemic the 

store delivered to customers seven 

days a week at first, but eventually that 

became six days a week. 

Gary said: “At one point we had 150 

customers to deliver to; we do it once a 

week now on a Friday to around 20 

people. Customers used to be able to 

order up to 1pm and deliveries would 

take place after 3.30pm, and we took 

payments over the phone. 

“We let two or three customers in the 

shop at a time, and our customers 

were all outside along the street 

chatting. We doubled our turnover 

overnight, managing a 100% increase 

in sales overnight was a challenge. 

“We put up screens and we were 

fortunate that the store has two 

entrances, so we could put a one-way 

GARY’S TOP TIPS FOR 

POSTMASTERS 

COMMONSENSE IS KEY 

“I’m in post office and Spar WhatsApp 

groups and judging by some of the 

questions that get asked there are lots 

of people that don’t know what they’re 

doing. 

“Be confident in what you’re doing, 

and have a commonsense approach. 

And if you don’t know the answer to 

something, ask. 

“I used to have six partner sites. Those 

four partner sites that I lost, if staff there 

want to know anything, it’s me they 

call, not the Post Office helpline. 

They’re not afraid to talk to me and tell 

me what they’ve done; I will tell them 

what they need to do.” 

TRAINING 

“One thing that’s coming out of the 

Horizon Inquiry is there’s a need for 

more training – I’ve never had any 

formal Post Office training. I’ve just 

been told to get on with it. 

“People that haven’t got the skill set, 

need a bit of training.” 

SHOP TALK 

Menheniot Post Office, Menheniot, 

Liskeard, Cornwall 

Opening hours: Shop – 7am-7pm 

(Monday to Saturday) and 9am-7pm 

(Sunday); Post Office – 9am-5.30pm 

(Monday to Friday) and 9am-12.30pm 

(Saturday) 

Size of branch: 2,500sq ft 

PO counters: Fortress 

Staff: 13 (Two full-time; 11-part-time) 

PO services: Mails, banking, returns, 

bills, Drop & Go, Amazon 

Retail: Grocery, confectionery, soft 

drinks, cards, newspapers, stationery, dry 

cleaning 

28 


MAILBOX 

Your letters answered by Post Office Ltd 

and Jon Follenfant, NFSP Members’ Editor 

Postmasters need to plan for cost increases, 

so will we hear about remuneration increases 

before dipping into our own pockets? 

R 

emuneration is 

always a hot 

topic and we do 

see a pattern of 

Post Office Ltd (PO) 

applying increases one 

way or another. However, 

this is insufficient to cover 

the ever-increasing costs. I 

have rapidly increased my 

shop sales from £6k per 

annum to £40k but still 

struggle to pay the bills. 

Will there be an 

enhanced recognition that 

remuneration needs to 

increase and that 

communication must take 

place by early January next 

year to allow business 

owners to plan for the 

Living Wage increases? 

Martin Rudderham 

Skellow PO 

POST OFFICE REPLIES 

Paul Liddiard, Head of 

Postmaster 

Remuneration 

Development, 

writes: 

Thank you 

for your 

questions 

and I’m 

pleased that 

you have 

recognised the 

increases in 

remuneration. 

As you have stated, 

postmasters, like many 

retailers on UK high 

streets, are facing a very 

“I have 

increased my 

shop sales rapidly 

but still struggle 

to pay the 

bills” 

challenging economic 

landscape right now. 

We are committed to 

seeing postmasters share 

more in the profits we 

make. Postmasters now 

receive more than half of 

the variable income PO 

makes. 

At the end of March, we 

announced a 

remuneration package for 

postmasters worth £30 

million for the 2024/25 

financial year. 

As part of that, our new 

Operational Excellence 

Incentive Scheme will 

directly reward 

postmasters who deliver 

strong performance in 

certain back-office 

activities. In turn, this also 

helps to save money that 

is then available to use 

elsewhere, including 

future remuneration 

reviews. 

We’re also 

ensuring that 

postmasters 

share in 

profits from 

online 

platform 

products. 

More widely, 

we are always 

looking for new 

opportunities to 

improve branch 

profitability. You’ll be 

aware we have introduced 

in-branch sales with 

carriers other than Royal 

Mail, for example. We are 

also negotiating the next 

Banking Framework 

agreement, which will be 

a vital part of protecting 

remuneration, and we 

have secured a renewed 

commitment with Bank of 

Ireland, which will see us 

continue to provide a 

wide range of 

savings 

products 

online and 

in-branch. 

As you 

know, we 

now review 

remuneration 

annually, and we 

are committed to 

updating postmasters 

before the start of each 

financial year in April. We 

will endeavour to make 

future announcements as 

early as possible, but the 

timing is largely driven by 

budget setting processes, 

including the need to 

understand the impact of 

any Royal Mail tariff 

changes once they are 

announced. 

MEMBERS’ EDITOR 

REPLIES 

Many thanks to Martin 

Rudderham for his letter 

about increases in PO 

remuneration and the 

timing of any 

announcements of those 

“Many 

postmasters 

have had to dip 

more deeply into 

any profits they 

make” 

pay increases, and to Paul 

Liddiard for his response 

on behalf of PO. 

Postmasters, like any 

other businesspeople, 

have to plan ahead and 

budget. More so over the 

last two years because of 

the unprecedented 

swingeing increases in the 

cost of running a post 

office. These 

costs, primarily 

in employing 

staff and 

energy, have 

in no way 

been offset 

by increases 

in payments 

by PO. The result 

is that many 

postmasters have had to 

dip more deeply into any 

profits they may be 

making on any associated 

business or, in few cases, 

savings. This amounts to 

an unseen subsidy of PO, 

a government-owned 

institution, by the very 

postmasters who own and 

operate them. This must 

stop. 

It is interesting to 

consider Paul’s comments 

that increases in 

remuneration worth £30m 

have been announced for 

the current financial year 

and that perhaps more 

might flow through from 

the next Banking 

Framework agreement 


Your letters 

“More needs 

to be done to 

cover 

postmasters’ 

operational 

costs” 

and other factors. Whilst 

these announced 

increases and potential 

increases are more than 

welcome, what is needed 

is new profitable products 

and services as well as the 

flow through from 

improvements in head 

office cost control and the 

reduction of other backoffice 

costs. 

A recognition by PO that 

postmasters operate 

businesses and need 

sufficient advance 

information upon which to 

plan for the future, which 

might include, for 

example, improvements to 

post office layout, decor 

and staffing levels is 

required. Cash flow is a 

major element in this 

planning. Profit is one 

thing, but cash flow is so 

important. 

Whilst steps to improve 

postmaster remuneration 

are welcome, more needs 

to be done to cover 

operational costs to 

ensure that postmasters 

themselves receive 

adequate compensation 

for their hard work. 

Why the 

difference in 

commission? 

Local branches do the 

same work as Main 

branches so when will they 

be paid the same 

commission? For example, 

does Post Office Ltd get 

paid the same for a 1st 

class parcel if it has been 

sent from a Main or a 

Local? If so, why is there a 

difference in commission? 

Zafar Rushnaiwala 

Holts PO 

POST OFFICE REPLIES 

Paul Liddiard, Head of 

Postmaster 

Remuneration 

Development, writes: 

Thank you for your 

questions. 

It is entirely normal in a 

large-scale franchise 

business that there might 

be differing contracts for 

franchisees in different 

circumstances. 

Contract requirements 

for Main branches and 

Local branches are 

different and as such, on 

many products, attract 

differing levels of 

remuneration. The core 

differences are the 

requirements for Main 

branches to provide 

HR4UK Quarter page ad June 2024 SPM.pdf 7 22/05/2024 13:26 

dedicated 

areas of the 

branch to Post 

Office activities, including 

dedicated queuing areas, 

and also the need for 

dedicated staff. In 

“Contract 

requirements 

for Main branches 

and Local 

branches are 

different” 

contrast, Local 

branches will 

usually be set up to 

share both space and staff 

between the post office 

and retail parts of the 

business. 

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

Understanding Casual 

Worker Agreements 

Casual worker agreements offer valuable 

flexibility for UK businesses but come with 

their set of challenges. Employers must 

carefully consider the legal framework 

and ensure they maintain fair, transparent 

practices. 

Scan the QR code to read our 

full article.* 

30 


Main branches also tend 

to have a higher cash 

throughput and therefore 

have greater security 

requirements. 

Main branches will also 

often be located in city or 

town centre locations 

where rent and rates costs 

tend to be higher. 

They are also expected 

to deal with a 

wider variety 

of products 

that require 

a greater 

level of 

training. 

We do 

review the 

differences in 

remuneration 

rates as part of our 

“Use of the 

term ‘franchise’ 

is misleading 

when applied to 

postmaster 

contracts” 

annual strategic 

remuneration review and 

will continue to do so. 

MEMBERS’ EDITOR 

REPLIES 

Thanks to Zafar 

Rushnaiwala for raising 

the age-old question 

about the remuneration 

differences between Main 

and Local post 

offices, and to 

Paul Liddiard for 

his 

explanation. 

This 

question is 

often raised in 

meetings with 

both PO and the 

NFSP but rarely 

have I seen it explained 

in print. I have to declare 

an interest here – I own a 

Main office – and 

appreciate Paul’s 

rationale, though I don’t 

necessarily accept all of it. 

I would point out that I, 

like I think all independent 

postmasters, have an 

agency not a franchise 

agreement with PO. The 

use of the term ‘franchise’ 

is misleading when 

applied to postmaster 

contracts. 

Yes, Main offices tend to 

be self-contained post 

offices with a basic retail 

offering, usually cards, 

gifts, and 

stationery. They 

are situated 

on high 

streets 

which 

attract high 

rents and 

business rates 

and being 

predominantly in 

urban areas, need to 

pay higher wages to 

attract and retain staff. 

Historically, many have 

replaced Directly 

Managed or Crown offices. 

Local post offices on the 

other hand tend to be 

co-located as a category 

in a convenience store 

where they compete for 

space with the groceries, 

the off-licence, and other 

offerings. 

Whether a Main or Local 

post office branch or other 

model, to earn their place 

in a local village 

“More 

remuneration is 

needed to ensure 

the survival of 

all post 

offices” 

convenience store or on a 

busy high street the 

message to PO and the 

Government must be that 

more remuneration is 

needed to ensure the 

survival of all post offices, 

whatever the model. 

Readers of The 

SubPostmaster magazine 

might like to write in to 

offer their take on the 

various models of post 

office that PO are 

including in their statistics 

in the quest to maintain a 

network of 11,500 offices. 

We look forward to 

hearing from you. 

On a personal 

note, I am 

moving on 

after being 

Members’ 

Editor since 

2015 and 

occasional 

contributor for 

over three 

years. I am leaving 

you in the excellent 

hands of Tim Allen and 

Jon Bumphrey, who were 

elected at the recent AGM/ 

Annual Conference. 

Tim and Jon will be 

sharing this role in the 

coming months, and I am 

sure they will offer a fresh 

perspective on your letters 

in the future. Many thanks 

to all who have written in 

over the last nine years. It’s 

been interesting reading 

them and PO’s replies. 

Last but not least, please 

keep sending those letters 

and emails. 

The members’ editors 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 


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

C 

M 

Y 

CM 

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CY 

CMY 

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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 

32 


Helpline and press option 1. 

Advocay Ad quarter page horizontal.png.pdf 10 22/05/2024 13:54 

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. To find out more 

scan the NFSP+ QR code (above). 

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 (NET) represent postmasters in 

negotiations with Post Office Ltd (PO) and 

our NFSP Advocacy Team provide support 

in contractual disputes with PO. Get in 

touch by calling the Helpline or email 

admin@nfsp.org.uk 

Public Affairs represents 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 email 


STAY CONNECTED 

NFSP Weekly Newsletter 

– The latest news and 

information from the 

NFSP. 

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. www.nfsp.org.uk 

Private Facebook Group – Share your 

views with other members: 

Facebook.com/groups/NFSPmembers 

To sign up to these services contact 


C 

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GET THE 

HELP 

YOU NEED 

NFSP Advocacy Project 

PROTECTING AND SUPPORTING POSTMASTERS 

Get in touch if you are having: 

• Contractual disputes with 

Post Office Ltd (PO) 

• Have been suspended from your 

business 

• Require representation during PO 

hearings 

We’re here to help when things don’t go to plan: 

admin@nfsp.org.uk 01273 452324 


Planning ahead 

HERE COMES THE SUN… 

JULY 

1 

JULY 

8 

JULY 

12 

JULY 

24 

JULY 

26 

AUG 

5 

AUG 

26 

WIMBLEDON 

BEGINS 

START 

DISPLAYING 

BACK TO 

SCHOOL 

STOCK 

BANK 

HOLIDAY 

(NORTHERN 

IRELAND) 

SCHOOL 

HOLIDAYS 

(DIFFERS PER 

SCHOOL) 

SUMMER 

OLYMPICS 

BEGINS 

SUMMER 

BANK 

HOLIDAY 

(SCOTLAND) 

SUMMER 

BANK 

HOLIDAY 

(UK) 

It’s that time of year again: we’re finally being treated to a little 

summer sunshine. Why not take advantage of the summer 

season within your retail and plan seasonal promotions, get 

involved in some local community events or have a go at 

increasing footfall through digital marketing? 

PARTICIPATE IN LOCAL 

FESTIVALS AND FAIRS 

During the summer, many places 

hold festivals and fairs. Look into the 

events in your area and see if you can 

get involved. Not only will you be 

where your customers are, but you’ll 

also get exposure to new shoppers 

who may not be aware of your 

business. 

Sponsoring a local event or 

participating in some way can also 

amplify your business and give you 

more exposure – both before and 

after the event. You can also 

advertise your involvement through 

print ads, your social media pages, 

and your email newsletter. 

SUMMER PROMOTIONS 

You have some leftover stock from 

the winter season. Your customers 

are looking for a great bargain. A 

great summer sale should feel like a 

fun event with unmissable bargains 

for all. Why not go a bit further and 

create a summer event in store? This 

can easily coincide with a flash sale. 

Think drinks and snacks, 

competitions, prizes and giveaways, 

games, raffles and goodie bags. The 

only limit is your imagination. 

Or use cross-selling to generate 

high-value bundle deals. Bundle deals 

present a great opportunity to 

generate value for your customers 

while increasing average order value 

through cross-selling. Bundling 

products that complement one 

another can be a fantastic way to give 

customers value for money, increase 

customer loyalty and keep them 

coming back. 

DIGITAL MARKETING TO 

MAXIMISE FOOT TRAFFIC 

The summer heat is great for getting 

people out and about. So, make sure 

your business’s digital profile is 

Summer marks 

the start of the 

Back to School 

selling period 

Need help sorting your Back 

to School stock? Then get in 

touch with IPS for their latest 

Back to School offers and prices, 

phone 01923 639800 email 

sales@ipsretail.co.uk or visit 

their website 

www.ipsretail.co.uk 

Looking to break into the 

retail convenience sector? Why 

not contact Bobby’s – the UK's 

leading direct-to-store supplier 

of snacks, cakes, and sweets. 

Visit www.bobbysfoods.co.uk to 

find out more. 

primed to ensure that consumers 

know where you are and what you 

offer. Tips to make your business 

more visible in local searches 

include: 

Ensuring that your company is set 

up on Google Business Profile. 

Making sure your name, address 

and phone number data is up-todate. 

Encourage and incentivise 

customer reviews. 

Source backlinks from trusted 

local resources like other businesses 

and directories in your area. 

For more information about how to 

set up your Google Business Profile 

page scan the QR code to read our 

article from the 

December 2022 

SubPostmaster, 

which was all 

about Getting 

started with Digital 

Marketing. 

34 


NFSP RETAIL PARTNERS 

ACCESSORIES 

Emelia Accessories 

02476 326198 

sales@emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

www.emeliaaccessories.co.uk 

ATM 

Cashzone 

01707 632839 

sales@cashzone.co.uk 

www.cashzone.co.uk 

BOOKS 

The Cut-Price Bookstore 

01482 866695 

sales@cutpricebookstore.co.uk 

www.cutpricebookstore.co.uk/ 

nfsp 

BUSINESS TRANSFER 

Humberstones 

01275 377880 

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 

www.retailers.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 

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 

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 

INSURANCE 

UKGlobal Chester Ltd 

01244 566206 

steve.jones@ukglobalgroup.co.uk 

www.ukglobalgroup.co.uk 

MERCHANT SERVICES 

Cashplus Bank 

www.cashplus.com/NFSP 

Customer service line: 

0330 024 0924 

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 


New range launch! 

TOYS 

IPS Retail are proud to introduce a 

range of toy brands who are looking 

to support the sub post office network 

Card 

Games 

Board 

Games 

Soft 

Toys 

Pocket 

Money 

Toys 

STRONG POST OFFICE SALES ACROSS THE UK! 

Call, WhatsApp your account manager or visit us online now... 

tel: 01923 639800 email: sales@ipsretail.co.uk web: www.ipsretail.co.uk

THE SUBPOSTMASTER - JUNE ISSUE

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