Most post is collected and delivered by Royal Mail, whose Universal Service Obligation means it must make at least one collection from every post box and at least one delivery to every home or business premises every working day. However, Royal Mail is not obliged to specify the times by which these collections and deliveries should be made.

Postcomm is reacting to concerns over Royal Mail bringing forward final collection times from some post boxes, particularly in rural areas. In some cases, final collections in rural areas are now made as early as 9am. Also, following Royal Mail’s decision to implement a single daily delivery, most mail is being delivered later in the day. This has led to some instances where the daily delivery is now being made after the final mail collection.

Postcomm wants to establish whether these changes have caused problems, and, if so, whether customers would be willing to pay more for better collection and/or delivery times. The responses to this consultation will be combined with a wide-reaching market research exercise that is being carried out on behalf of Postcomm, Postwatch and Royal Mail, plus costing information from Royal Mail.

All this information will help Postcomm decide whether a more formal approach to collection and delivery times is necessary.

Nigel Stapleton, chairman of Postcomm, said:

“It’s very important that customers use this opportunity to tell us how recent changes to their collection and delivery times are affecting them. By making earlier collections and delivering mail later in the day, for instance, Royal Mail may be giving itself more time to deliver first class mail the next day. Whilst this helps the company meet its quality of service targets, if it is not meeting the reasonable needs of customers Postcomm must consider what action to take.

“Postcomm has a duty to protect the needs and interests of all mail users, especially people in rural areas and those who are blind or partially sighted, elderly, chronically sick or disabled. Early collections could have adverse effects on these mail users’ ability to communicate by post and on the future health of the mail market. We are pleased that Postwatch and Royal Mail will be working closely with Postcomm on this project.”