It is considering re-opening some branches in publicly owned buildings, but warned the proposal was not a certainty as the county is suffering from a lack of funding for public services.

The announcement follows news that Essex County Council set aside £1.5m to re-open 15 of its 31 threatened post offices in public buildings.

Leader of the county council Cllr Jim Harker said: "Many county post offices are valuable and well-loved facilities. They are the hubs of our local communities, particularly for the most vulnerable residents, offering essential services that cannot be easily replaced.

"What Essex County Council is doing is an unprecedented step for a council to take.

"We have asked Essex to provide us with details of what it is doing and we will be considering whether it would be appropriate for Northamptonshire.

"We understand that proposals in Essex will cost about £1.5m and I can only re-emphasise how difficult our financial situation is here in Northamptonshire, with one of the lowest Government funding settlements in the country."

By March 13 post offices in north Northamptonshire were closed, despite widespread opposition.

Muriel Rigley, who now runs what was once Little Harrowden Post Office as a village shop, said: "The idea might help some people but I think that once a post office has closed people start looking for alternatives."

Another shop owner, who used to run a post office in the Kettering area, but asked not to be named, said: "I'd say it's too late for this. The reason post offices closed was because there was no business."

A spokesman for Post Office Limited said: "Theoretically, what is happening in Essex could happen in Northamptonshire.

"The Post Office has made it clear that we are happy to talk to local authorities about further funding provision.

"If they want to talk to us about such a proposal we would be willing to do that.



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