Petition calls for Government scrutiny of Royal Mail before any changes to its legal obligations

A petition has been launched challenging the Government to scrutinise any planned changes to Royal Mail's 'Universal Service Obligations (USOs)' following a number of cost increases and poor service fines in recent times.

The petition, launched by the Greeting Card Association, insists that any changes to Royal Mail's USOs should be dependent on the company meeting existing performance and delivery targets for letters and cards, along with an expectation for Royal Mail to regulate the price of 1st class mail to 'avoid further above inflation increases.'

Amanda Fergusson, CEO of Greeting Card Association, said: "We met with Ofcom...and they confirmed that they have made no decisions yet, but will be launching a 10-week public consultation later this month with their proposals for USO reform and they encourage everybody to respond. They will then make a decision before the summer on the new structure of the USO.

"With 1st class letters having seen 5 rises in 3 years, the last 22% increase in October to £1.65, quality of service still poor (Ofcom fined RM £10.5m in December for poor service), and Royal Mail now trialling 2nd class deliveries moving to 2 or 3 days a week for 1million households, we remain very concerned and are asking Parliament to review any planned changes."

Andrew Goodacre, CEO of Bira, said: "In the wake of numerous cost increases, along with the recent Ofcom fine for poor performance, it is vital that Royal Mail is held accountable when it comes to providing independent high street businesses with a reliable and supportive postal service.

"I would encourage any independent retailer or high street business to sign this petition, which aims to ensure that Royal Mail is properly scrutinised under very reasonable objectives and continues to support your business and high streets as a whole."

The petition currently sits at almost 4,500 signatures, with 10,000 signatures necessary for Government to respond. To learn more and sign the petition, please click the link below.