Calls to end high online delivery charges

Banffshire and Buchan Coast MSP Stewart Stevenson has called for an end to high online delivery fees as more than £2 million was paid by constituents in the area as a result of delivery surcharges.

In the run-up to Black Friday, new figures published have laid bare the annual cost of delivery charges for shoppers across rural Scotland.

The statistics from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), found that consumers in Banffshire and Buchan Coast were left footing millions of pounds this year alone in additional delivery fees.

It has been revealed that the total figure paid by Scots shoppers has now reached £40.1 million relative to the rest of the UK.

Mr Stevenson said: “Westminster has the powers to put an end to rip-off parcel delivery surcharges for Scots – but for too long now successive UK governments have sat on their hands and done nothing.

“It is completely unjust that shoppers in the north-east are expected to fork out huge sums of money each year on these surcharges.

“Delivery surcharges continue to hit the pockets of families across Scotland – it’s time for the next UK government to take some real concrete action and get a grip of these sky-high surcharge fees."

The total annual cost of charges in the Banffshire and Buchan Coast area was £2,035,000.

Moray MSP Richard Lochhead has also called for delivery surcharges to be eradicated, with the cost in the area

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