Regulator delays post competition

Postcomm, the post office regulator, has delayed the introduction of competition by at least a month to give its critics more time to respond.

The move follows complaints from Consignia, the government-owned operator of the Royal Mail, and the Communications Workers Union, which both argued that the regulator risked damaging services by rushing through plans to end Consignia’s monopoly.

Postcomm also said it had been contacted by a number of MPs who were unhappy with the proposals but continued to deny reports that it had come under pressure from ministers.

Graham Corbett, chairman of Postcomm said: “Both Consignia and the CWU have asked for more time to finalise their responses to us.” Dan Roberts