Heavyweight 3stone activity to safeguard UK’s postal service
“Use it or lose it” is the mantra of the direct-action campaign the GCA has launched today, 26 November, to make the public and government fully aware of the threat to the affordable postal service.
The demonstrations at local post boxes by a number of GCA members followed Cardology’s David Falkner heavyweight action to ensure parliament got the message by carrying a three-stone (20kg/44lbs) cast iron version from company’s HQ near Croydon on public transport to Westminster – as can be seen in the video below.
The GCA’s PR team at Arena PR has issued a press release to the media fanfaring the action backed up by facts and figures, with a link to the video of David’s pilgrimage to parliament along with his salient commentary.
As David eloquently stated, ensuring a reliable and affordable postal service is maintained doesn’t just matter to business – he stressed: “The things we send in our post bind our communities together and keep our High Streets intact,” as he’s shown holding the heavy post box in front of the Houses Of Parliament.
While highlighting how it still only costs 85p to send a greeting card second class in the UK, the GCA and its members – largely SMEs including High Street retailers, designers, publishers, and printers –
are being increasingly vocal about concerns over recent significant first-class stamp price rises and proposed reforms to Royal Mail’s Universal Service Obligation, that could see second class deliveries chopped back to three, or even two, days each week.
The genteel direct action from the greeting card sector this week coincided with today’s appearance of the business secretary and post office minister at a government select committee hearing, and protestors also hope to ensure Royal Mail reforms proposed by industry watchdog Ofcom receive formal parliamentary scrutiny, and are not implemented through a back door deal.
Just last month Royal Mail raised the price of a first-class stamp from £1.35 to £1.65 – an inflation-busting 22% increase that was the fifth hike in less than three years and taking to almost twice the price of a second-class stamp, which remains affordable at 85p as it’s currently protected by Ofcom rules pegging it to inflation.
The GCA, which represents more than 500 members within a vibrant and creative industry worth over £1.5billion to the UK economy, said it feared the rises could result in killing off affordable letters post for good.
Explaining the situation to the wider media in its press release – and with television coverage expected over the next few days – the GCA said it’s because Ofcom and Royal Mail have also announced plans to hack the second class post by ending Saturday deliveries and cutting the rest down to three or even two days a week, and they’ve made no secret of the fact their latest proposals need no intervention from government before implementation, bypassing parliamentary scrutiny.
GCA CEO Amanda Fergusson said: “Business owners and customers alike need an affordable and reliable postal service across theUK – but Royal Mail and Ofcom’s plans could mean this is taken from them for good.
“Our members are concerned the planned shake-up of the service, which could happen without any parliamentary scrutiny, could create a further spiral of decline which could ultimately result in Royal Mail calling time on an affordable second-class stamp.
“Our members rely on the postal service for deliveries and they and their customers do not want to be left with a premium, uncapped, unregulated first-class stamp beyond their financial reach.
“We ask that politicians from all sides review the plans and ensure the needs of small businesses and consumers are considered.”
The planned reform of the postal service is of acute concern to the small and medium-sized businesses that make up the creative, vibrant greeting card sector in the UK and reply on a postal service that’s reliable, affordable and national.
Ofcom confirmed that 42% of postal users now say greeting cards are the only reason they use Royal Mail – as the GCA stressed, an average card costs £1.89 plus the 85p stamp means sending a physical card is still a simple, joyful and inexpensive way to create a tangible connection between people that builds and nurtures relationships.
However, in its latest monitoring review published in October, Ofcom confirmed that, while consumers were increasingly switching from first to second class post with cost being the main driver, Royal Mail continued to fall below quality of service expectations in 2023-24.
First-class mail deliveries meeting service commitments were only at 74.5% against a target of 93% and cecond class was at 92.4% against a target of 98.5%.
In May Ofcom opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s delivery targets compliance for 2023/24 and postal users continued to report delayed mail as the most experienced issue – 25% of residential users in their research.
The GCA has featured this direct action campaign in a dedicated blog on its website, which can be seen by clicking here.
