Post Office to announce branch closures and job cuts in cost-cutting drive

The business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, this week expressed his support for the long-term future of the Post Office. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

The Post Office is expected to announce the closure of dozens of branches and cut up to 1,000 head office jobs as it seeks to reduce costs to secure its financial future.

There are about 11,500 Post Office branches across the UK, of which 115 are wholly centrally owned. The rest are operated by independent post office operators under contract and partners such as WH Smith and Tesco.