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Plans to review the Royal Mail’s six-day a week service pose a danger to postal deliveries in the Western Isles, Torcuil Crichton has warned.

The Labour candidate for Na h-Eileanan an Iar has sounded the alarm bell after Ofcom signalled it is preparing the case to end the Royal Mail’s universal service obligation.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, announced this week that it is to produce “options” for the future of the postal service later this year.

The universal postal service is essentially the ‘one price goes anywhere’ principle of affordable postal services to all UK addresses.

It requires Royal Mail to deliver letters to every address in the UK, six days a week, at a uniform price, and parcels five days a week.

Mr Crichton said: “If Ofcom is preparing a case to end the Royal Mail’s universal service obligation that should ring door bells from Ness to Barra.

“If the service is cut back you don’t need google maps to predict the postcodes which would suffer and how it would lay the ground for varying charges for postal deliveries to the islands.”

The islands and large parts of the Highlands are already penalised by large parcel delivery services.

The Scottish parliament library research has estimated that the Western Isles pay £2.8 million in excess delivery charges every year.

Mr Crichton said: “Many people, particularly the elderly, to not have access to electronic mail and many businesses rely on making sure there is a next day delivery service across the UK.

The Labour candidate added: “Ofgem is preparing a consultation although the intention seems clear. Ultimately, it would be for the UK Government and Parliament to determine whether any changes are needed to the minimum requirements of the universal service.

“When that consultation starts let’s make sure we save the universal postal service for all our sakes.”


Islands warning sounded on universal postal service

7 September 2023