Ofcom Annual Plan 2015/16
As the statutory representative for consumers of postal services across England, Wales and Scotland, the Citizens Advice Service are pleased to respond to offer comments on Ofcom’s Draft Annual Plan 2015/16.
The consumer advocacy bodies across the UK, Citizens Advice, Citizens Advice Scotland and the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland) work together to conduct research and build evidence on postal user needs and to deliver strategic projects that contribute to improving the operation of the postal market for all consumers by assessing the value of postal services across the universal service obligation (USO), mail and parcels.
We believe that Ofcom’s proposals for ongoing monitoring of the financial sustainability of the universal service and quality of service are of importance given the ongoing internal and external factors affecting the UK postal market.
We are supportive of Ofcom’s decision to undertake the following projects:
- a review of complaint-handling and redress schemes for consumers
- completing reviews of postal common operational procedures (PCOP) and mail integrity codes (MICOP)
- a review of the parcels market
- Royal Mail’s progress on efficiency
As Ofcom finalises the details of its plan for the next 12 months, it needs to continue to ensure that its view is focused on the likely future of the postal service and that its priorities in post include targeted reviews and robust monitoring.