Richard Burden MP: Fighting for a fair deal for everyone in Birmingham Northfield

Post Office Card Account (21 November 2008)

Last week the Government announced that the new contract for the Post Office Card Account (POCA) will be awarded to the Post Office. This is fantastic news for our local post offices.

Over the last few months many people have rightly been concerned about the closure of some post offices here in Birmingham. In the middle of all this, the announcement that post offices will continue to offer the card account is great to hear.

The POCA is an important source of income for our local post offices and it helps to brings customers through their doors. It will be vital in making sure that we have a sustainable network of post offices to serve our local communities here in Birmingham and all across the UK.

The card account is a very straightforward account specifically designed as a way to receive benefits and pensions. About four million people choose to receive their benefits and pensions in this way – including over 6,000 here in my Northfield constituency. This announcement is great news for them too.

We are all aware of the economic difficulties we are currently facing. People trust their local post offices and in this period of financial uncertainty it is crucial that vulnerable people can go to a reliable, secure provider of financial services in their local community.

Like many other Labour MPs, I have been campaigning for the Government to award the new card account to the Post Office. I am delighted that they have done so. This decision is the right one for POCA customers and the right one for our local post offices.