Postcomm denies late delivery on

POSTCOMM, the postal regulator, yesterday denied it was ready to retreat on the issue of introducing competition into Consignia’s mail monopoly. “We are in listening mode, and haven’t yet had a response from Consignia,” a spokesman said. “If someone came up with a very good reason why proposals have to change then we might have to say something, but we are still in a consultation period.” This followed reports that the regulator was preparing to bow to pressure from MPs and Consignia’s management and change the timing of the proposed introduction of postal competition. This should be in place by 2004 under current proposals. A Consignia spokesman said yesterday that the business had not heard anything about PostComm extending the time period in which competition would be introduced. “Unsurprisingly, we would be pleased if they did,” she said. Consignia currently has a monopoly on delivering letters costing under pounds 1 to post, except for some items covered by interim postal licences. Under the proposals this monopoly will be removed entirely by April 2004, with much of the market opened up at the end of this April. Consignia, and its chairman Allan Leighton, has said the organisation cannot afford to have its most lucrative business cherry-picked by competitors. The organisation’s formal response to the regulator is expected later this week.

Daily Telegraph