“What are those numbery things, Mum?”
A good question overheard at the Post Office counter a week or two back, and one that has been repeated (in different ways) many times over the last few months.

The ‘numbery things’ are PinPads and are related to the changes in the way pensions and benefits will be paid in the future. Let me explain a bit more about the changes.

Some time ago the Government decided that it was time to introduce a more cost effective way of paying pensions and benefits. The current system works well, but costs a lot to administer. Just think about it. Pension books have to be printed and distributed for everyone who receives a benefit. When you come into the Post Office we have to tear out those pension slips when we pay you. We then have to sort them out and account for them, and dispatch them to a central processing facility which checks them yet again. All in all an expensive, slow, time consuming process. No wonder the Government wants to change it. So what are the changes and when will they happen?

Every benefit recipient will have three choices:

a. Have your benefit or pension paid directly into an existing bank account. Since this is an option today, the chances are that this is not appropriate for most people currently drawing benefits from a Post Office.

b. Open a new ‘basic’ bank account and have the benefit paid into that. Such bank accounts will be provided by the commercial banks and will probably be available to a wider range of people than normal bank accounts. It should be possible to draw cash from these accounts at the Post Office.

c. Have your pension or benefit paid into a new Post Office Card Account. This will be a special account operated with a plastic card. Each week on the usual day, the benefit will be paid into the account and you will be able to draw out as much or as little cash as you want, up to the current balance in the account. So if you choose you can take out all the cash on your normal benefit day, just as you do now, or you can leave some in to help save for larger bills etc. To use the account you will need to bring the card into the Post Office, and enter the special Personal Identification Number (or PIN) on the “numbery things” on the counter. You can change the PIN number to one that is easy for you to remember.

When will this happen and what do you need to do? Firstly you don’t need to do anything until you hear from the Government Department responsible for your benefit. You will continue to be able to use your pension book until it runs out, and we should still get replacement books for you as usual. At some time over the next year (or possibly longer) you will receive a letter inviting you to choose one of the options above. If you need any help with the letter or making the choice, please bring it in to the Post Office and we will help you understand which of the options is best for you.

If you have any questions at the moment, feel free to ask any of us in the Post Office. I will write more here about the changes as they start to happen, but don’t worry if you don’t hear anything – the Government has stated that it will take up to three years to change every body over.

Lotto – (Formerly The National Lottery)
Contrary to some rumours, Coltishall Post Office & Village Stores will continue to offer the full range of Online and Instant National Lottery games.

Post Office Opening Hours
Some of you will have noticed that the Post Office is now open through lunchtimes most days, although we haven’t changed our official opening times yet. From mid-February we expect to be open all day Monday to Friday, including Wednesday afternoons, plus Saturday mornings as usual. We hope to be able to publish our new official opening times shortly.

Steve Haines
Subpostmaster, Coltishall