Get GCA petition over the 10,000-signature line as Ofcom review ends on 10 April
Give 30 seconds of your time to save the UK’s 500-year-old postal service as Ofcom’s consultation over changes to Royal Mail’s obligations comes to an end on 10 April – another 700 signatures are needed urgently!
The GCA is making a final push for as many companies and people as possible to sign the petition and to respond to the proposals that the universal service obligation could be cut to second-class deliveries only every other day, three days one week and two the next, with none on Saturdays.
The industry association has been calling on everyone who relies on greeting cards for their living to band together, pushing the number of signatories to at least 10,000, which will force the government to respond, with the target being 100,000 so it has to be considered for debate in parliament.
GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson said: “Thank you so much to everyone in the industry who has responded to our plea to sign our petition to protect our postal service. We need just 700 signatures to get to the magic 10,000 when the government has to respond – so please, please continue to share.
“It’s also vitally important for our industry that as many companies and people as possible respond to Ofcom’s review by 10 April – your voice really matters!”
Only letters and cards carrying the expensive first-class stamps – increasing for the sixth time in three years to £1.70 from Monday, 7 April – will be delivered six days a week, with Ofcom and Royal Mail claiming this meets the USO so there would be no need for parliament to get involved.
The GCA campaign for parliamentary scrutiny of any changes to Royal Mail’s universal service obligation and threatened cuts to second class delivery which has also been publicised through the “Mi sing Let ers” social media campaign, inspired by publisher Ohh Deer, and which can be seen in the post below.
To send in a response to the consultation, there is guidance on the GCA website which should mean it will only take a few minutes, or email hello@gca.cards for further questions and help on responding.
You could also email futurepostaluso@ofcom.org.uk or put your thoughts and message in a card and send it to Future development of the postal USO team, Ofcom, Riverside House, 2A Southwark Bridge Road, London SE1 9HA.
The consultation ends on 10 April, but Ofcom had already approved RM’s trial cutting of second-class deliveries to every-other-day and none on Saturdays, which started in February at 37 locations covering around three offices in each of Royal Mail’s 12 regions affecting roughly one million households, while first-class letters deliveries are still being made on all six days along with parcels even though the USO only applies to letters.
The latest stamp price increase means the unregulated price of first class goes up 5p to £1.70, with second class, where the cost has to be kept “affordable” rises 2p to 87p. While lower than some feared, it still represents the sixth increase in just three years following previous inflation-busting hikes such as the 22% rise to £1.65 only six months ago, and means first-class stamps will have more than doubled since costing just 76p in 2020.
And the moves come on top of RM admitting it is still missing delivery targets set out in the universal service obligation, despite being fined over £15million over the past two years, while the £5.6bn total takeover of Royal Mail and parent company International Distribution Services by Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský’s EP Group is currently delayed due to a political crisis in Romania.
