The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the lack of an accessible post box in Hayfield restricts access to postal services for local residents; and further that it requires them to cross the busy A624 to access the nearest post box when the Post Office is closed, potentially endangering the elderly, disabled, and families with small children.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to note the need for an additional post box in Hayfield, recognise the benefits this would bring for local residents, walkers and holidaymakers, and urge Royal Mail to install a new post box.
And the petitioners remain, etc.—[Presented by Robert Largan, Official Report, 22 June 2022; Vol. 716, c. 930.]
[P002741]
Observations from the Under-Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (Jane Hunt):
It is important that people and businesses can access postal services and can send and receive letters and parcels regularly. That is why the Government are committed to ensuring the provision of a sustainable, efficient, accessible and affordable universal postal service in the United Kingdom.
Royal Mail is a fully independent private business, and the Government do not have a role in the day-to-day operational matters of the company, including the location of post boxes.
However, Ofcom, as the independent regulator for the postal sector, requires Royal Mail to ensure there is a post box within half a mile of the premises of at least 98% of users of postal services. Royal Mail is also required to report annually to Ofcom the number of customer complaints received about the provision and/or location of post boxes.
Royal Mail has advised the Government that the post box is within 600 metres of the post office, which meets Ofcom’s requirements. On the question of accessibility, Royal Mail has informed the Government that customers can also pass correctly stamped letters to the postal worker when they are delivering their mail.
Consequently, after taking into account all the relevant factors, we understand that Royal Mail has taken the operational decision not to install an additional post box in the immediate area of Hayfield.