MSP urges companies to end postal charge discrimination

Some companies are discriminating against people in Shetland by refusing to deliver or charging much more to deliver goods here than to address in the mainland, according to isles MSP Tavish Scott.

Many constituents have raised the issue with Mr Scott and he has now written to postal affairs minister Ed Davey to complain.

“There are a number of points regarding Shetland deliveries which I think are cause for concern,” he said. “Some companies flatly refuse to distribute items outside of the UK mainland which amounts to discrimination. Those who offer parcel delivery to Shetland often do so at a prohibitively expensive cost. I am still at a loss to understand why companies do not use the Royal Mail to send items to the isles at a set cost regardless of postcode. Sadly, as we are seeing currently, our universal postal service is in jeopardy and needs supported.”

He added: “Why does a delivery to an English address cost £20 when the same items costs £60 to deliver to ZE1? Why does a laptop, delivered free to the Lerwick Tesco, cost the company another ‘£70-£90’ to send to its customer in Unst?

“I have asked the UK government to respond to these issues and I support my colleague, Alistair Carmichael MP, as he also puts pressure on the government to retain the universal postal service. We want the issues of postal delivery to Shetland properly addressed.”