Bonn / Magdeburg (dpa / sa) - Deutsche Post has too few post offices in Saxony-Anhalt - rural areas are particularly affected. As can be seen from a letter from the Federal Network Agency to its advisory board, the supervisory authority was aware of 174 locations across Germany at the end of January that were not occupied despite a government regulation. According to the network agency, there were 140 at the end of December – according to the figures, the problem has worsened. Of the 140 vacant post offices, 5 were in Saxony-Anhalt.
Most of the locations in Saxony-Anhalt where there is no post office despite being required to do so are in rural areas. At the end of December, according to the network agency, one branch each was missing in Schwanebeck (Harz district), Muldestausee (Anhalt-Bitterfeld district), Sülzetal and Am Grossen Bruch (Börde district). In addition, there is no post office in the Luterstadt Wittenberg.
According to the regulation, there must be at least one branch in every municipality with more than 2000 inhabitants. With a population of 4,000 or more, a branch in contiguously built-up residential areas may not be further away than two kilometers. The federal government is currently preparing a reform of the completely outdated law - then the specification for the branch network could also be changed. In most cases, post offices are retailers who also have a post office, such as supermarkets or kiosks.
The Bonn-based group emphasizes that the topic of branch supply is very important to it and that it covers around 99 percent of the mandatory locations - "especially in rural areas," says a company spokesman. "Due to short-term cancellations by branch partners, there may still be temporary vacancies." They are working flat out to set up new branches at the relevant locations. Often, however, it is "regulatory requirements that restrict the options for opening a branch quickly".
