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<p>BEIS Ministers and officials engage regularly with representatives of Post Office
Limited on a range of strategic issues of mutual interest. While the Post Office is
publicly owned, it is a commercial business operating in competitive markets. The
Government sets the strategic direction for the Post Office – to maintain a national
network accessible to all and to do so more sustainably for the taxpayer – and allows
the company the commercial freedom to deliver this strategy as an independent business.
Therefore, issues relating to the Post Office network, including Crown Post Offices
and franchising agreements with WHSmith, are all operational matters for Post Office
Limited.</p><p>Most of the UK’s Post Office network of over 11,500 branches (almost
98%) already operates successfully on a franchise or agency basis. Research by Citizens
Advice (June 2017) found that franchised branches are delivering to the same, or better,
standards.</p>
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