The Greeting Card Association (GCA) has won the support of postmasters across the UK in its petition calling for MPs to scrutinise proposed changes to Royal Mail’s legal obligations (the USO) that would end Saturday second class delivery and cut back delivery days to a minimum of two per week.
Writing to members, Calum Greenhow, chief executive officer of The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), told them the proposal to water down the USO were “the thin edge of the wedge” and it was time to “encourage Ofcom to protect the USO as a social service that is vital to many disadvantaged groups.”
Highlighting research by Post Office Limited, Mr Greenhow told members that if delivery days are reduced, 75% postmasters believe it could have a large or extremely large impact on their post office business and 64% believe it would have a significant impact on their non-post office business.
The NFSP is now encouraging postmasters in post offices to display a poster outlining the GCA and NFSP’s concerns and direct them to the GCA petition, which asks the government to get involved.
Calum Greenhow said: “When I took over my office in 1995, the price of a 1st class stamp was 25p and if you add inflation over that time period, the price of a 1st class stamp should now be 49p not £1.65. This means that the cost of a 1st class stamp has risen by more than three times the rate of inflation, yet the quality of service has reduced – we can see that when the price of stamps increases, it has a direct link on letter volumes.
“The NFSP is asking postmasters to display posters and to talk to their customers to encourage them to sign the petition so that communities, customers, businesses and the post office network have a national, affordable and reliable postal service.”
Although Ofcom confirmed last month that it had begun a consultation on proposed changes, with the process set to run until April, it also gave Royal Mail the green light to go-ahead with premature trials, testing the end of Saturday second-class delivery in more than 30 locations.
While Ofcom has not yet made any irrevocable decisions regarding changes to Royal Mail’s legal obligations under the USO, the pilots will start reducing second-class delivery to every other weekday, Monday to Friday.
The pilots will impact over a million households and small businesses, reducing their second-class post service ahead of any formal change to the USO.
Amanda Fergusson, GCA CEO, said: “Those of us who value the small businesses in our communities, our high street retailers and post offices, all fear the impact Royal Mail’s proposals could have. It’s only right that such major changes are properly scrutinised by Parliament.
“We recognise the need for change in the postal service and want Royal Mail to thrive in our 24/7 economy, but that doesn’t begin with the implementation of service reductions through a backdoor deal between Royal Mail and Ofcom.”
