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Changing Service Provision in Rural Areas and the Possible Impact on Older People: A Case Example of Compulsory Post Office Closures and Outreach Services in England

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 July 2015

Charlotte Hamilton
Charlotte Hamilton*
Affiliation:
Department of Social Policy and Social Work, University of York E-mail: cmh515@york.ac.uk
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Abstract

Rural post office provision is becoming increasingly reliant on alternative delivery models. The effect of change could fall disproportionately on older people as a key customer group of the Post Office, overrepresented in rural areas. There are only very limited polices in this area. The existing literature has not yet examined where compulsory changes have taken place alongside the impact on older people living in the community. This research uses a mixed methods approach, exploring the example of the 2007–9 Post Office Network Change Programme in England and a case study of older people in a community affected by this change. Very rural areas were vulnerable to post office changes; 70 per cent of changes to post office delivery models occurred in these areas. It is important to consider the impacts of changes more broadly, including both direct and indirect outcomes.

Keywords

Ruralolder peopleservicessocial policypost offices

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Type
Articles
Information
Social Policy and Society , Volume 15 , Issue 3 , July 2016 , pp. 387 - 401
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2015 

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