A number of Post Office branches could close across Scotland, putting dozens of jobs at risk.

The Post Office has said it plans to offload 115 directly owned branches within its 11,500 network, which could lead to them being transferred to retail partners or postmasters or potentially closed.

While around 1,000 workers are employed across branches, the Post Office has confirmed hundreds of other positions are also under threat at its headquarters to streamline back-office operations.

Post Office chairman Nigel Railton said the change would also offer a “new deal for postmasters” after the Horizon IT scandal by increasing their share of revenue and giving them a greater say in the running of the business. saw hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted.

Nine branches in Scotland are at risk of closure on the list of 115:

• Edinburgh City
• Glasgow
• Haddington
• inverness
• Kirkwall
• salt shakers
• Springburn Road
• stornoway
• West Hailes

Mr Railton made the announcement in a speech to postmasters across the country, as well as retail partners and Post Office staff, at the company’s headquarters in London on Wednesday.

The plans, which are subject to government funding, call for the average branch fee to double by 2030, with an additional £120 million to be paid by the end of the first year.

He said: “The Post Office has a 360-year history of public service and today we want to future-proof that service by learning from past mistakes and moving forward for the benefit of all postmasters.

“We can and will reignite the pride we take in working for a business with a legacy of service, rather than a company riddled with scandals.”

He added that the overhaul “will usher in a new phase of partnership where we will strengthen the voice of the postmaster in the day-to-day running and operations of the business, so they are represented from the front lines to the boardroom”.

It follows a strategic review launched by Mr Railton in May, but is dependent on funding talks with the government, which the Post Office said were “positive and ongoing”.

The government is also said to have been consulted on the possibility of transferring ownership of the network to thousands of sub-postmasters across the country.

The 115 branches at risk are Royal Post Offices located in city centers and staffed by Post Office employees.

These are the only branches directly owned by the Post Office, remaining from nearly 400 branches in 2010.

A Post Office spokesman said: “The plan aims to create a new operating model for the business, which means ensuring the Post Office has the right organizational design.”

But the Communications Workers Union (CWU) union has called on the Post Office to halt the plans and for the Government to intervene.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: “For the company to announce the closure of hundreds of Post Offices so soon after the Horizon scandal is as tone deaf as it is immoral.

“CWU members are victims of the Horizon scandal and now they fear for their jobs ahead of Christmas is yet another brutal attack.”

But the Post Office insisted the aims were to franchise branches or transfer ownership to other parties, such as a network of retail partners.

Retailers such as WH Smith, Tesco, Morrisons and Co-Op operate around 2,000 Post Offices across the country.

The remainder of the network (about 9,000 Post Offices) is operated by independent postmasters.

As part of the transformation, the Post Office is also establishing a new postmaster panel to increase support and training, as well as an advisory council “to ensure the interests of postmasters remain front and centre”.

A Department for Business and Trade spokesman said: “Post offices are an integral part of the communities they serve and the services they provide to local people.

“The government is actively discussing plans with Nigel Railton to put postmasters at the heart of the organization and strengthen the Post Office network for its long-term future.”

A public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal, which involved hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongfully found guilty of theft after the company’s flawed accounting system left branches appearing to have no cash, continues.

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