A VILLAGE’S threatened Post Office may not be safe despite a U-turn by bosses, its postmaster fears.

Post Offices are being assessed under a transformation programme, with some that share premises with shops facing a new set-up where the designated postal counter is scrapped.

That is called the Local model.

A financial assessment recently found the Cumnor shop and post office set up was not suitable for the local model, but last week it was revealed this had been overturned.

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There is another option called Community Branch status where the status quo is maintained, but Cumnor has been ruled ineligble for this.

Despite the u-turn, postmaster Sri Sathiapal still fears for the future.

Under a Local model, he would lose his salary from the Post Office and instead receive a share of the postal takings. He said: “They gave us two options, take a redundancy or become a Post Office Local as our shop can support the local model.

“The shop is not doing brilliantly. They said this would be the most suitable option for us, how do they know if it’s suitable for us?

“How viable is it going to be after they take away our salary?

“Once we lose our salary it will be difficult for us to continue, rent is going to be a struggle.”

A Post Office spokeswoman said: “We believe the new contracts are a fair offer for postmasters. The new models offer them the potential to increase their Post Office and private retail business and reduce their operating costs. There are many potential benefits for existing agents who convert to the new operating models. For example, customer satisfaction with the new models is around 95 per cent.”

Jo Swinson, minister for postal policy, in a letter seen by the Oxford Mail, promised the post office’s safety. She said: “Under Network Transformation, the Post Office is introducing new operating models, including the Local model which the company believes is the most appropriate way to maintain services at Cumnor.”

She guaranteed there would be some form of local service no matter what happened under the transformation scheme.

Liberal Democrat prospective parliamentary candidate for Oxford West and Abingdon Layla Moran called for residents to support the service. She said:“I have spoken personally with the Post Office minister and have been assured that the Post Office in Cumnor will definitely stay open come what may. If we want it to remain where it is and be run by the same people we need to support our post office. We need to go out of our way to use it particularly over the Christmas period.”

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