Rural communities could lose postal services after Royal Mail's privatisation, according to the SNP.
The company's boss has said competition for urban areas is affecting its ability to provide for every corner of the UK.
A YouGov poll found 77percent of Scots opposed the sell off of the postal service.
Mike Weir MP, SNP Westminster spokesperson on postal services said:
“Rural areas of Scotland will be suffering the consequences of the UK government’s botched sell-off of Royal Mail this Christmas.
“The privatisation of Royal Mail has been nothing but a shambles since day one – and as Lord Myner’s report revealed earlier this month, taxpayers lost out on millions. The people who are paying for this incompetence are the individuals and businesses in rural parts of Scotland who need and should have the same postal services as the rest of us.
“A privatised postal service in a competitive market will undoubtedly put pressure on government to reduce the terms of the Universal Service Obligation, as its competitors cherry pick the profitable urban routes leading to a reduced service in rural and less affluent areas. Now we are told there is a ‘material risk’ to the USO – and that the delivery service across the UK will come under ‘unmanageable strain’.
“Royal Mail should never have been privatised and it is painfully clear that the UK government should never have sold off a valuable public asset at well below its true value and despite all the warnings. We know the majority of Scots were totally opposed to the privatisation of Royal Mail - more than any other part of the UK. We need a postal service that meets the needs of our communities and one which is brought back into public ownership.
“This is especially poignant at Christmas since this is the one time of year when there continues to be a substantial number of letters sent as people stay in touch with friends and family through cards and family letters. Rising prices have already made this more costly, loss of a universal service will make it impossible.”
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