Social Value of Post Offices

Question

Not so much a question really,as a thought. A colleague and I were talking about how we might measure the value of a post office in some way that takes into account its wider value to a community (i.e. not just in business terms, but in social terms). For example, the staff at the post office hear things about, say, a villager's health, or some other aspect of a person's life that could usefully be passed on to a neighbour or doctor. I know that this sounds a little bit "snoopy" but this sort of service is provided is is, for obvious reasons, not give a "value" (as far as I know) in terms of the service's wider benefit (because it can't be counted conventionally. We wondered, therefore, if anyone knows of any example of where/how attempts have been made to measure - or at least spot - this type of added value? If it's not available could examples be looked for (and, I bet, found) - perhaps using interviewers to visit a selection of 'at risk' POs - and used as stories/case studies to explain how this type of service is of far greater value than can by measured by conventional (usually financial) means? As I say, just a thought.

Answer

Clearly, you are looking for ways to put a social value on something that usual methods of measurement cannot reach (for example sales figures). One of the methods available is to use is the community appraisal/parish plan as used by ACRE (www.acre.org.uk).

Community and Parish Plans give an opportunity for everyone in your community to make themselves heard. This includes rural services.

See PARISH AND COMMUNITY PLANNING TOOLKIT for engaging parishes, towns and communities: http://www.acre.org.uk/zPROJECT_ParishPlans_toolkit.htm

As Parish Plan research is often used as a basis of "evidence of need" to Funders to argue the case for a project or service in a village. It provides tried and tested techniques for collecting data for who uses/needs/does what in a community, what assets exist in a community and how these might be developed and protected for the benefit of the community. It could very well be used as an effective mapping technique for the way a rural service, such as a shop, links to other services such as local transport, tourism, growth and distribution of local food, and development of employment in the community. Try entering "parish plan + Post Office" into a Google search to get case studies from around the country.

Methods of consultation usually include public meetings, door-to-door surveys, focus groups consulting with groups such as youth and sports clubs, schools as well as clubs and associations. The challenge is to design the questionnaire so that it elicits the right information from an individual that reflects the social content that you are investigating. In this way you can get qualitative comments as well as numerical data. It is also a suitable starting point for compiling successful case studies and discovering what works and what doesn't in a particular model.

BACKGROUND: DEFRA How to do a Parish Plan - evaluation of assets in social terms: http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/communities/parish-planning.htm

BBC: What price a post office: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/6178827.stm

Social value of post offices in Wales: The study surveys the research evidence for the social. value of post offices, particularly in deprived and isolated communities.

Website: http://wales.gov.uk/dsjlg/research/0206/summarye?lang=cy Rural post office threat could kill off social networks

Cumbria: http://www.cumbria.gov.uk/news/2007/march/08_03_2007-085007.asp

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