The Post Office has announced that 115 branches are at risk of closure and 1,000 staff will lose their jobs.

There are roughly 11,500 Post Office branches in the UK – 115 are ‘wholly-owned’ by the company while the rest operate out of partners like WHSmith.

But the Post Office says it will shut or franchise its wholly-owned branches as the company tries to balance the books.

Hundreds of head office jobs are also on the line.

The Post Office has been gutting its wholly-owned branches, known as crown post offices, for years.

In 2012, there were almost 400. As of March 2023, however, there were only 117.

Under the plans, announced today by chairman Nigel Railton, not all Post Office branches will necessarily shut.

Some may instead be transferred to retail partners or postmasters. WHSmith, Tesco, Morrisons and the Co-Op operate 2,000 Post Offices, while postmasters run the remaining 9,000.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said to slash so many jobs and post offices amid the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal is ‘immoral’ and ‘tone deaf’ at best.

Dave Ward, general secretary of the union, said: ‘CWU members are victims of the Horizon scandal – and for them to now fear for their jobs ahead of Christmas is yet another cruel attack.’

The Post Office said: ‘The plan intends to create a new operating model for the business that means ensuring the Post Office has the right organisational design.’

The Horizon IT scandal is seen as the worst miscarriages of justice in British history, seeing more than 700 people convicted for a crime they didn’t commit.

They were wrongly accused of theft between 1999 and 2015 after a faulty IT system called Horizon created false shortfalls in their accounting.

Post Office bosses insist the new strategy will ‘ensure postmasters’ interests remain front and centre’, with a postmaster panel to up training standards and a new consultative council.

The overhaul ‘begins a new phase of partnership during which we will strengthen the postmaster voice in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the frontline to the boardroom’.

Railton added: ‘The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and today we want to secure that service for the future by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters.

‘We can, and will, restore pride in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than one of scandal.’

A spokesperson for the Department for Business and Trade said: ‘Post Offices are an integral part of the communities they serve and the services they provide for local people.

‘The Government is in active discussion with Nigel Railton on his plans to put postmasters at the centre of the organisation and strengthen the Post Office network for its long-term future.’

Got a story? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. Or you can submit your videos and pictures here.

For more stories like this, check our news page.

Follow Metro.co.uk on Twitter and Facebook for the latest news updates. You can now also get Metro.co.uk articles sent straight to your device. Sign up for our daily push alerts here.

MORE: ‘Great value for money’ – shoppers rave about Sculpted by Aimee’s Full Face gift set

MORE: England must bin old routine to snap losing streak against South Africa

MORE: Readers react to the Church of England cover-up scandal and Welby’s resignation