It has been calculated that 80% of households and 90% of postcode sectors in the Ludlow constituency are in the area Royal Mail considers the most rural. These areas will attract the biggest surcharges.
Royal Mail's proposals are to increase prices by over 10.2% for bulk mail deliveries in rural areas while prices in urban areas rise by only 3%.
Mr Dunne said: "I am concerned about these new proposals. If implemented, it will place further pressure on our local post offices at a time when we need to do everything we can to ensure they remain open. As Chairman of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Rural Services, I have raised my concerns with Royal Mail, Postcomm and the new minister at Department for Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform."
The rural surcharge proposals for large mailings raise damaging implications for rural postal services and rural communities:
- Mail volumes going to rural areas will decrease and the unit costs of deliveries will increase;
- This in turn will put pressure on Royal Mail to reduce services in rural areas in the future;
- Rural post offices involved with mail delivery will see a declining volume of mail handled placing them in even greater jeopardy and;
- Significant additional costs will be placed on rural business and organisations.
Mr Dunne added: "Postcomm will be making a decision on this issue on Thursday 19th July so I encourage anyone concerned to write by then to Postcomm, at Hercules House, 6 Hercules Road, London SE1 7DB.
