Prime Minister Rishi Sunak was prompted to respond in parliament following publication of an Ofcom consultation document on the future of the Universal Service Obligation (USO). This currently states that there will be a six-day delivery service, which many publishers with time sensitive and weekly titles rely on.

Currently, the USO legally requires Royal Mail to deliver letters Monday to Saturday. However, the service has been struggling – with Ofcom issuing a £5.6m fine after Royal Mail failed to reach its delivery targets in the 2022/23 financial year.

The PM restated the Government’s commitment to ensuring the Universal Service Obligation (USO) “remains as it is” in Prime Minister’s Questions this week.

On publishers specifically, the report acknowledges that the sector ‘would be more adversely impacted if the minimum days requirement is reduced’ and suggested that publishers ‘would need to revise production timelines if possible’. However, changes to the USO requirements need parliamentary approval.

Speaking to BBC Radio Four, Richard Campbell, Managing Director – News, Future PLC said Ofcom’s suggested amendments to the USO are “deeply concerning to publishers of products like mine, because they are designed to be weekend reads when people have a bit more time. They’re part of people’s weekend rituals”.

He continued: “[the potential reduction in deliveries] is a big concern for us and what that might mean for our readers, their experience, and therefore our business. Without other changes in the marketplace, without Royal Mail introducing a replacement service, or other providers bringing new services to the market, we would be left high and dry. There would be no service available to us.”

Jess Burney, Managing Director – Subscriptions, Immediate Media commented: “We’re hugely concerned about the proposal to remove Saturday deliveries. Radio Times is the UK’s biggest selling weekly subscription magazine and it is really important that the magazine arrives in good time for readers to plan their weekly viewing. We have seen a significant reduction in the quality of service in the last few years and we are very worried this will make a difficult situation worse.”

Sajeeda Merali, CEO, PPA also made a statement: “The PPA is closely engaging with this latest Ofcom review. We will continue to call on the government and Ofcom to prevent any moves to reduce the USO as it will directly impact our members. The removal of Saturday services will effect time-sensitive titles if Royal Mail can no longer guarantee a timely delivery. These legally mandated services must be maintained so as not to significantly impact a sector worth £3.74 billion to the UK economy. The PPA will represent our members at the highest level of government and Royal Mail to ensure that consumers’ access to time-sensitive information continues.”

Next steps: Ofcom is now consulting stakeholders on the proposals and has stated that their immediate aim is to ‘stimulate an informed discussion about potentially changing the USO specification to better align with users’ ‘reasonable needs’.

The PPA will be responding to Ofcom’s consultation re-affirming the importance of Saturday deliveries to the specialist publishing sector. We will also be raising awareness of the industry’s concerns to parliamentarians and Government officials.

If you have any questions or would like to find out more, contact our Policy and Public Affairs Manager, Eilidh.wilson@ppa.co.uk 

To watch Immediate Media’s Jess Burney speaking to ITN news on the matter, click here