Scottish Affairs Committee to ask how will proposed changes to the Universal Postal Service impact rural, remote and island communities?

Wednesday 11 June, 9:30am, Committee Room 15, Palace of Westminster

The Scottish Affairs Committee will hold a one-off evidence session on the work of the Universal Postal Service in remote, rural and island communities in Scotland.  

The Universal Service obligation (USO) is the ‘one price goes anywhere' principle of an affordable postal service, with the Royal Mail acting as the UK's designated universal postal service provider. In January 2025, Ofcom launched a consultation on proposed changes to the USO, which could reduce some delivery targets. This has caused concern for residents in rural, remote and island areas, who already experience significant postal delays.  

The cross-party committee will first question consumer bodies on the problems that remote and rural communities experience with the postal service. MPs will explore the impact that proposed changes to the USO would have on these remote areas, the feasibility of Royal Mail meeting the proposed new targets, and its affordability.  

In the second panel, the committee will ask Ofcom about these proposed changes to the USO, how it assessed the impact on rural consumers and how it will ensure that these postal reforms improve the provision of post for consumers.  

In the final panel, MPs will quiz Royal Mail on the operational differences between postal delivery in urban Scotland and its more rural areas, and whether the proposed service reforms will lead to higher prices for consumers. They could also explore its recent announcement of a Royal Mail NHS specific barcode and the long-term future of the Universal Service obligation.  

Witnesses at 9:30am: 

• Grace Remmington, Head of Postal Advocacy, Consumer Scotland 

• Stacey Dingwall, Head of Policy and External Affairs (Scotland), Federation of Small Businesses  

Witnesses at 10:15am:  

• Natalie Black, Group Director for Networks and Communications, Ofcom 

• Glenn Preston, Scotland Director, Ofcom 

Witnesses at 10:45am:  

• Ricky McAulay, UK Operations Director, Royal Mail 

• Ross Hutchison, Scotland's General Manager for Processing, Royal Mail