Government defends introduction of small Post Offices It said that complaints about "lost services" on Locals overlook the fact that services such as vehicle licensing are not available in "traditional" Post Offices being replaced by Locals. "Local" Post Offices, which have been tested for four years, provide a streamlined range of services in smaller communities. There are around 97 Local branches in urban areas and 141 branches in rural locations. The Government also defended the move of big retailers such as Tesco into the running of Post Offices. According to reports, the supermarket's One Stop chain of convenience stores has ambitions to run up to 600 Post Offices. The Government's response said that large chains already operate around a quarter of all Post Offices in the UK. The Communication Workers Union (CWU) criticised the Government's comments. It said that ministers are "in denial" about the problems highlighted by members of the committee. A spokesperson from the Department for Business dismissed the CWU's concerns. He said that the so-called Post Office Network Transformation Programme, which includes the Local model, is an "important part of the Government's strategy for the future of the Post Office." He said it will "enable the company to offer what customers really want - convenient locations and longer opening hours." The company that runs Britain's Post Office network, Post Office Ltd, is required to maintain a network of at least 11,500 branches.