The Scottish Government has published a letter from Minister for Public Finance Hannah Mary Goodlad to UK Business and Trade Secretary Jonathan Reynolds raising concerns about postal services in Scotland’s island communities. The letter, dated 25 August, was copied to Scottish Secretary Douglas Alexander.
The concerns
Postal services are reserved to Westminster. Ms Goodlad pointed to a Consumer Scotland report finding that island residents face inconsistent service, high delivery surcharges and a lack of transparency about consumer protection. She wrote that these problems affect access to goods, add to cost-of-living pressures and create barriers for local businesses.
The surcharge figure
The letter cites earlier Consumer Scotland research finding that 72% of consumers in the Highlands and Islands had been charged extra fees when ordering parcels online.
Next steps
The minister said Scottish and UK ministers have generally worked constructively on postal issues and asked to continue that approach. The full letter is linked below.
