Universal delivery 'crucial for rural communities'

[TrueBlueTerrier]

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Business leaders and post office customers in Oban have told MPs that the universal mail delivery service is essential for rural communities.

The message was delivered as MPs from the Scottish Affairs Committee yesterday visited Oban’s main sorting office, a sub post office based in a pharmacy in Dalmally and a local business, the Caledonian Oyster Farm which uses the Royal Mail to deliver some of its products, as part of their inquiry into postal services in Scotland.

Glasgow South West MP Ian Davidson, who chairs the committee, said they were keen to hear people’s views on the potential impact of the Postal Services Bill on the public and the post office in rural areas such as Argyll.

Among the concerns raised were affordability and the possibility of large surcharges being imposed if services were taken over by commercial firms.

Mr Davidson said: “People throughout our visit were saying how much they depended on having the universal service delivery and how important it was for businesses locally to make sure that parcels could be delivered and collected by an organisation like the post office which doesn’t put on surcharges when they’re delivering locally.”

The lack of flexibility in deliveries to places such as Mull because of rules imposed by the Postcomm, the independent regulator, were also highlighted.

Mr Davidson said flexibility and taking account of community needs would allow a better service.

He said the committee was examining what assurances or measures could be taken by the UK Government to guarantee the provision of the universal delivery service and the chain of sub post offices and post offices.

Mr Davidson said they would visit Glasgow to meet postal workers’ unions, the Federation of Sub-Postmasters and inspect a post office run by a credit union in the city’s Pollok area.

The committee will make its recommendations by the end of the year in time for the Bill’s Third Reading.

[dvbuk55]

Well they may be right......................but is the rural community important to the mail provider?