Tag: Royal Mail

The head of the body regulating postal services warned last night rural sub-post offices face near “freefall” unless a Government decision about the future of the network is taken soon.

PostComm chairman Nigel Stapleton issued the dire prediction as he ended a tour of Scotland in the far north with a visit to a pilot mobile post office at Reiss, near Wick, a traditional sub-post office at John O’Groats and talks with local businessmen and councillors in Thurso.

Earlier he visited an alternative pilot with a full sub-post office operating satellite sub-offices for a few hours a week in neighbouring villages around Leven in Fife and had meetings in Dundee.

As well as continuing Government cash support in recognition of the social role of local post offices in the community, he urged the lifting of the Royal Mail monopoly so the Post Office can benefit from handling growing business from private sector operators like TNT and DX a year after the end of Royal Mail’s monopoly delivering letters and parcels.

A Tyneside businessman has been told he must send a letter to Scotland by air mail.

David Scott Cowper couldn’t believe his eyes when the envelope he sent to a client in Kilcreggan, near Glasgow, was returned to him.

On it was a large red sticker ordering the 65-year-old to pay more postage so it could sent the 180-mile trip by air.

David, a surveyor, said: “I just felt it was incredulous that I got the letter back and it gets delayed a few more days because some chap doesn’t know where Scotland is.

“So it seems Scotland is becoming a little further away from England than it already is because the Royal Mail is asking for air mail to get up there.

“Many people in Scotland like to regard themselves as being separate from the rest of the UK so it seems they got their wish thanks to the Royal Mail.”

A Royal Mail spokesman said: “We apologise for any inconvenience but we cannot speculate on exactly what has happened to this item of mail without seeing it first.

“We recommend that the customer contact Royal Mail customer services on 08457 740740 so his complaint can be fully investigated.”

Britain’s postal services regulator, Nigel Stapleton, yesterday pledged to support the interests of small businesses and communities throughout rural Scotland by upholding the principle of an all-UK standard or “universal” postal prices, for non-domestic users.

Talking to The Scotsman yesterday during a three-day “stakeholder consultation” north of the Border, Stapleton also expressed strong support for the plight of Scotland’s rural post offices, which face the prospect of the withdrawal of the GBP150 million annual subsidy the government gives to Royal Mail to support this socially vital network.

“It’s a big issue for rural Scotland, but also for many deprived areas of the cities,” Stapleton said. “The fact that functions like pension, social security and driving licenses have been taken away from them has resulted in a 40 per cent drop in the revenue of businesses that already have annual incomes as low as GBP10,000 a year.

“Taking that revenue stream away from them is a classic case of non-joined up thinking by the government, as it will require far more in terms of future subsidy to alleviate the damage to rural economies.”

The Royal Mail is saluting the Beatles in January by releasing six commemorative stamps illustrated with memorable album covers.

The set includes an image of “With the Beatles,” released in 1963, which was the group’s second album. In the United States, it was the first Beatles album to be released and was titled “Meet the Beatles.”

Others in the series include “Help!” (1965), “Revolver” (1966), “Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” (1967), “Abbey Road” (1969) and “Let It Be” (1970).