Calum Ross
A fresh campaign to end the practice of unfair charges for the delivery goods to the Highlands has been backed by almost 1,200 people.
A flood of support has led to 1,171 people signing a new online petition to end the “struggle and injustice” of delivery costs in the space of just four days.
Rising surcharges which penalise people for living in the north have been a source of anger in the region for years.
Recent studies by Citizens Advice Scotland have shown that consumers in the Highlands and islands are charged an extra £15 on average.
The new online petition states: “The mainland Highlands are being disadvantaged, struggling to hold competitive pricing as these postage costs have to be covered.
“Please sign to bring this vast waste of our hard earned money to the attention of the Scottish Government.”
Local politicians have repeated raised the issue of high delivery charges to the north in recent years, including Drew Hendry, MP for Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey.
He said: “We have a universal postal service but people in the Highlands and in other rural locations are seldom given this option of the cheapest delivery – it is not on.
“We know that this is often because couriers are charging retailers extra to deliver to the Highlands, it does not follow that the practice is ok.
“I have been working with consumer groups and other MPs to get a solution to this concerning issue.
“Last year I took a bill to the UK Parliament, the first of its kind from a Highland MP, that would have made retailers have to offer consumers the cheapest option of delivery.
“Online marketplaces are popular retailers and consumers alike. It is about time these companies also ensured that fairness is at play.”
