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Post Boxes

Asked by Martin WrigleyLiberal DemocratDepartment for Business and TradeTabled Answered 10 February 2025UIN 28323

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, which Department is responsible for ensuring the mandatory installation of post boxes.

Answered by Justin Madders

The government is not responsible for ensuring the mandatory installation of post boxes.

Section 29(6) of the Postal Services Act 2011 requires Ofcom, as the independent regulator, to “secure the provision of sufficient access points to meet the reasonable needs of users of the universal postal service”.

Royal Mail is currently required by Ofcom’s Designated Universal Service Provider (DUSP) condition 1.8.1 to provide a post box within half a mile, by straight line distance, of the premises of at least 98% of users of postal services.

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