Post Office monopoly will be broken up next year
THE POST OFFICE WILL COME under competition next year when the newly-appointed watchdog opens up the market to competitors.
A spokesman for the Postal Services Commission says: ‘As the official regulator to the postal service, it is our job to introduce more competition, while retaining the universal postal provision (single price for a stamp).
‘We were only set up and given our powers in July and so we have not started nailing the Post Office to the wall yet.
‘Next March we will be issuing a licence to the Post Office enabling it to operate, but we will also issue these licences to competitors.
‘We have had interest from the likes of UPS, Federal Express, and other European post offices.
‘We encourage anyone in parcel delivery to bid for part of the postal service, there is no hindrance on the number of operators in any one area.’ The PSC is still considering how far to reduce the Post Office’s monopoly.
