Business leaders in Staffordshire are warning against potentially harmful cutbacks in the frequency of postal deliveries.
Many firms operate on a seven-days-a-week basis and they rely on Royal Mail’s current levels of service, say the county’s Chambers of Commerce.
The message comes in response to proposals for reform in the consultation document published by regulator Ofcom.
Suggested options for change include reducing the number of days the Royal Mail delivers letters from six per week to five or even three.
Ofcom’s report claims the postal service is “getting out of date” and action is needed to be taken.
It says another option would be extending the number of days it takes for most letters to be delivered.
Declan Riddell, Staffordshire Chambers of Commerce Policy Adviser, said: “We recognise the need to review the postal service, given the significant fall in the volume of letters in the last decade or so.
“However many businesses need a reliable postal service throughout the week, for items such as legal documents.
“Many businesses are open seven days a week and rely on a postal service offering both flexibility and convenience.
“Any proposal to scale back frequency of postal deliveries will harm many businesses and we’ll be closely watching developments with interest.”
Royal Mail has gone on record to say that its current delivery network is “not sustainable” and that reform is “urgently needed”.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom’s chief executive, said the regulator was sharing options for reforming the service, putting them out for “national discussion,” with an update scheduled for the summer.
Kevin Hollinrake, the postal services minister, told the BBC that Royal Mail needed to “up their game” and that the government was “happy to have a conversation” about reforms.
But he insisted that Saturday deliveries were “sacrosanct” and that a six-day service would remain.
What suggestions do you have to improve the postal service which would benefit your business?
As a result of the concerns raised, we are asking businesses in Staffordshire to join the discussion and let us know what improvements they would like to see. We are also inviting peple to share their experiences of Royal Mail – whether good or bad.
Email us at [email protected] or leave your answers in the comments section below.
