By Gillian Fyfe
Letters that are signed, sealed, and delivered, and brown paper packages tied up with string. Sound familiar? Do you think of much beyond those well-loved song lyrics when you think about post?
Maybe not, but not to worry. That has been the job of Citizens Advice Scotland for the last 8 years while we have been the official advocate for postal consumers in Scotland. We have helped ensure the voice of Scottish postal consumers is represented, and any issues specific to Scotland are brought to the fore.
I’ll admit when I first joined CAS my knowledge of postal issues wasn’t great. But it’s been amazing to be part of the varied work that CAS has undertaken to protect and enhance Scottish consumers’ access to postal services, and to effect change.
We’ve worked on many different issues from: excessive parcel surcharging (an issue first highlighted by the CAB in Skye in 2011 which has become a massive campaign), access to post for vulnerable groups, access to post offices, what services consumers should expect under the universal postal service, post office outreach services, and many more. We’ve done this by commissioning research, engaging with the postal sector, and running campaigns.
With a new body taking on this responsibility from April we’re reflecting on what we’ve achieved and the difference we’ve made.
An issue that still remains today is parcel surcharging, where charges can be higher for consumers in parts of the Highlands and Islands compared to the rest of mainland Britain. We’ve worked with other stakeholders on this issue for a number of years. We’ve supported a compliance review of online retailers which resulted in enforcement notices being issued, highlighted this practice and our research in the Scottish and UK Parliaments, and supported campaigning alongside Citizens Advice Bureaux on the local impact of this issue.
Affordability is another key issue, and this is even more important today as the cost of living hikes start to take effect. In 2021 we achieved real progress on this when the cost of postal redirections was reduced for those on Universal Credit and eligibility widened. This was a great result, and we’ll continue to advocate for more affordable rates for those in challenging financial situations.
Another great result was Ofcom agreeing to implement stronger protections for parcel customers so they are treated more fairly. The pandemic made post even more crucial so its vital no-one is left behind.
Being able to afford post is one thing, but what if you can’t even get post delivered to you? Unfortunately, this is still a reality for some vulnerable groups in Scotland and the impacts of this can be huge. It can touch on all aspects of someone’s life from finances, housing, health information, to support to remain in the UK. Everyone should be able to safely access their post in Scotland no matter their situation. CAS continues to work to make sure this happens, particularly now with delivery issues linked to COVID again impacting consumers.
So next time you decide to return to sender or receive a letter from America remember there is much more to the post than that, and there are people out there working to ensure Scottish postal consumers voices are heard.
Gillian Fyfe leads the Strong Communities team at Citizens Advice Scotland.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules here