Rural post office closures spark concern

As 441 post offices could close or be transformed by 2027, many residents in rural areas are expressing concern over the decline of local public services and a perceived neglect of rural territories. In Alligny-en-Morvan, a commune of nearly 600 inhabitants, residents worry about the disappearance of a vital local service.

Local voices express fear and frustration

Anne-Marie, who works behind the counter of her grocery store, said, "If we lose the post office, we will die!" A local resident praised the post office worker, who also acts as a mail carrier and helps with administrative tasks, calling her "welcoming" and trustworthy. Retired resident Sonia criticized the situation, stating it is "disgusting for the elderly or those with limited mobility." With rising fuel prices, she fears having to travel 5 to 10 kilometers by car to access services.

Post offices may become limited service points

According to an information revealed by Mediapart on September 23, these post offices may become communal post offices or commercial relays, where services would be limited to selling stamps and envelopes or collecting packages. In the Nièvre department, five post offices would be affected. The network has already significantly declined, from 8,144 post offices in 2018 to 6,624 today, a decrease of nearly 20%.

La Poste defends the changes as necessary

La Poste Bourgogne-Franche-Comté stated that this is not a list of closures but a basis for discussion with local officials to identify the best solutions for the needs of the territories. The company justifies its considerations by citing decreased attendance and issues of profitability. La Poste attributes the decline in usage to the acceleration of digitalization, with over 80% of transfers now done online and mail volumes dropping from 18 billion pieces in 2008 to about 5 billion in 2025.

Digitalization leaves some behind

However, some users feel left behind, as not everyone has access to a computer at home. Valérie, a town clerk for 34 years, noted that the digital shift has made interactions impersonal and reduced contact, weakening social ties. A June 2023 report estimated that 13 million people have difficulty with digital tools. Residents argue that the decline in usage is not primarily due to digitalization but to reduced opening hours, which they believe are too limited, possibly due to budgetary reasons.

Criticism of a political decision

In Alligny, the post office is open from Tuesday to Friday, only three hours in the morning. Those who are unaware of these hours may visit once or twice in the afternoon but eventually stop coming when they find the door closed. Some see this not as a technological inevitability but as a political choice, arguing that the state has made budget cuts that have led to the dematerialization of public services. Karine, a tourist reception agent, viewed this as a form of contempt for rural areas, stating that officials use the "diagonal of emptiness" to justify the removal of local services, but it is they who are emptying the villages.

Mayors and unions oppose the changes

Marie-Christine Grosche, the mayor of the commune, criticized this as a "mode of thinking of énarques," referring to officials who apply a financial filter and decide if a commune is "dead." In July 2025, she mobilized to keep six yellow mailboxes in nearby hamlets. Romain Boillon, the general secretary of the CGT section of the Federation of Employees in the Postal and Telecommunications Sector (FAPT), warned that these closures feed distrust in institutions, reinforcing the feeling of abandonment and providing "benedict bread" for the far right.