Earlier this week, the Government announced a summer-long public consultation on the future of the Post Office.

When we hear ‘Post Office’ we think immediately of our own local Post Office and the hard-working sub-postmaster or sub-postmistress who runs it. They act as agents for the umbrella organisation, Post Office Ltd (in recent times overshadowed by the Horizon scandal) and there is also a smaller number of bigger directly-managed branches called Crown Post Offices.

When we talk about the future of ‘the Post Office’, it takes in all of these.

It’s easy to conflate the Post Office with the Royal Mail, and of course they were once combined (along with BT as well) in the GPO. Today they are distinct entities, and while Royal Mail is a private sector business regulated by Ofcom, Post Office Ltd remains government-owned. They both have their challenges and judging by the emails I regularly receive, both at times can be a source of frustration too.

This consultation comes at a critical moment. Shifting consumer habits and the switch to digital has hit the high street particularly hard. But online shopping, while a challenge for all retailers, should also have been in another way a benefit for the Post Office and the Royal Mail.

Retailers are also now reeling from two recent economic blows including employer National Insurance hikes and cuts to business rates relief. The Post Office has felt all of it.

There have already been branch closures over the years. In addition, Post Office ‘Outreach’ services – which may be limited-hours operations run from a village hall or local shop – are labelled “costly branch formats” in this latest consultation document.

East Tisted lost its outreach collection service last year and now both the Post Office and local shop have closed.

The Post Office shop is very often the last outlet in a village so its loss is felt especially hard.

The Government wants to reduce public subsidy to the Post Office. Ideas floated include mutualisation - giving postmasters greater ownership of the business - and granting chartered status. Both come with strengths and trade-offs.

There are also some opportunities. As more bank branches disappear, the Post Office can fill some of that void. Post Offices offer many key services – cash withdrawals and deposits, bill payments, paying in cheques and checking balances – and they are now running the banking hub network. The first banking hub in Hampshire opened earlier this year in Bordon and I hope there will be more locally.

Post Offices are vital community assets, and especially so in rural areas like ours – often the only accessible and visible service for miles. They’re essential for the digitally excluded, for small businesses, and for anyone who prefers face to face service. While we may send much fewer letters than we did a decade ago, parcel drop-offs have risen by over 60 percent, and business cash deposits are also up.

I urge people to respond to the consultation and share your views on what a modern Post Office should be. Let’s make sure it remains a service for everyone, everywhere.

The consultation is at www.gov.uk and closes on October 6.