Camborne and Redruth Crown Post Offices will be closed and turned into franchise operations following a company announcement yesterday.

The Post Office said it would be closing 37 Crown Post Offices - it's main branches usually based in town centres - and seeking to run them as partnerships as "part of its efforts to secure its services in communities... for the long term."

The Post Offices on Chapel Street in Camborne and Fore Street in Redruth are among those listed for closure, as the company continues a programme that saw 93 branches closed last year, with some reopening inside stores.

Roger Gale, sales and trade marketing director for the company, said: “We’re committed to maintaining the Post Office’s special place on the high street and the changes we are making underpin our continued commitment to give communities in every part of the country access to essential services.

“The Post Office’s network of more than 11,600 branches is easily the largest in the UK, with 17 million customer visits a week. The vast majority of these branches are run with partners, and in the locations announced today we believe this will also be a more sustainable approach for the long term. With consumer habits changing, and the high cost of maintaining premises in prime high street locations, franchising helps us to keep services where our customers want and need them.

“We will take time to identify the right partners over the coming months and all proposals will be subject to local consultation.

“Post Office has a strong record of supporting people through change and we will be keeping affected staff fully informed as we develop our plans.”

The move has sparked criticism from unions, with the communications union CWU saying 300 jobs will be lost, as well as 127 financial specialist roles.

Dave Ward, general secretary of the CWU, said: “The latest round of closures is further evidence that the Post Office is in crisis and that the board of the company, backed by the government, is simply pursuing a strategy of slash and burn.

“Today’s announcement comes less than three weeks after the closure of a major government consultation on the future of the Post Office and sticks two fingers up to everyone who took part in this. 75,000 postcards were returned to the government signed by members of the public calling for an end to the closure and franchise programme – the Post Office and the government have completely ignored their views.

“While the government spent yesterday talking about building a shared society today’s announcement pressing on with the destruction of yet another public service shows we are reaching the point where we will have little left to share. The CWU will not accept this and we will be stepping up our political and industrial campaign to fight for the future of the Post Office.”

The Post Office has yet to respond to questions over potential job losses at its Redruth and Camborne branches.

A Post Office spokesperson said it could be 18 months before any changes are made, and the process could see operations move into nearby premises or remain at their current locations, while ensuring a number of counters that "takes into account current and future business levels."

They said branch staff can transfer to the franchise operator, or could discuss other options with the Post Office, and added: "We've got a good track record in avoiding compulsory redundancies.