Moray shoppers being charged £3m extra

A newly released report states people in Moray are being charged an extra £3million in delivery charges.

The Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) found that, across Scotland, online shoppers were paying more than £43.1million extra – an increase of £6.7m over the past three years.

Richard Lochhead, Moray's MSP and a long-time campaigner on the issue, states the charges have created a postcode lottery, with rural communities often hit hardest.

He said: "It is hugely frustrating to see that shoppers in Scotland have been forced to fork out an additional £43.1 million on parcel delivery surcharges this year simply because of where they live.

"Despite widespread support for the Fair Delivery Charges campaign, charges continue to rise year-on-year.

"Since I started this campaign, the cost of these surcharges has increased by an eye-watering £6.8million.

"The campaign is making a positive difference but given that online shopping is on the rise, particularly this year due to the Covid-19 restrictions, so is the postcode penalty paid by households and businesses in Scotland.

"Scottish consumers in rural areas - who are often more dependent on online shopping than those who live on the mainland – should not have to live with these surcharges.

"Having to pay extra delivery charges will really hit the pockets of working families this festive season.

"We know times are tough for businesses at the moment, but consumers should not be bearing the brunt of these challenges.

"I would urge all delivery companies to level the playing field for everyone and stop adding on these ridiculous surcharges.

"Enough is enough – the Tories at Westminster can’t sit on their hands any longer.

"It’s time for the UK government to introduce meaningful legislation that will put a stop to these unfair surcharges once and for all."

The paper published by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe) estimated that shoppers paid an extra £43.1million for parcels in 2020 – up from £40millon in 2019 and £38million in 2018.

Douglas Ross, the Scottish Conservative leader and Moray's MP, who has also spoken out before about the issue has now called for a debate in the House of Commons.

Mr Ross said: "Long before the Coronavirus pandemic, consumers in Moray were being hammered by extra delivery charges.

"This why I have been raising this in Parliament and highlighting unacceptable practice from retailers who seem content to add on these charges just because of our postcode.

"Too many companies treat people living in areas like Moray as if they are not part of mainland Scotland.

"I have campaigned to scrap these rip-off charges, but these figures clearly show that it remains a big problem.

"The lockdown has only served to increase the costs faced by consumers who often have little choice but to shop online.

"This is totally unnecessary and unfair. People should not be penalised based on where they live.

"I have now applied for a debate on this in the House of Commons as it has gone on for too long."