Postcomm consults on licence for Deya Ltd

Postcomm today began consultation on the proposed issue of a short term licence to Deya Ltd. The company wants to provide a UK-wide postal service for local authorities and utility services in the event of disruption to the universal postal service.
The aim of the service is to ensure that payments such as housing benefit, and bills for council tax and utility services, reach consumers in periods of disruption — such as industrial action by Consignia’s employees.
Deya has been delivering telephone directories for British Telecom since 1982 and provides similar services for other customers. It has a database of 50,000 delivery contractors throughout the UK and delivers around 20 million items per year.
The proposed licence would last for one year and is intended to allow Deya’s customers to benefit from postal services when others are not operating, and for Postcomm to assess its effects while it develops its longer term licensing policy.
Deya’s proposed service seems likely to have a minimal effect on Consignia’s provision of a universal service since it will operate only when the universal service has broken down. Because such a service would reduce the backlog that builds up in periods of disruption, it is likely to have a positive effect on universal service provision by contributing to its quicker re-establishment when disruption ends.
The consultation document and text of the proposed licence is in the Licensing section of Postcomm’s website.