Free access for micro-firms to postcode database

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Free access for micro-firms to postcode database after Sir Tim Berners-Lee's protest

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The smallest companies will be allowed free access to a database of Britain’s postcodes to help develop new business, Royal Mail has said.

The national postal operator is also giving free access to the Postcode Address File to small charities and increasing access to the database over the internet.

The measures have been introduced after an outcry over Government plans to sell off the database as part of the £3billion privatisation of Royal Mail, due later this year, led by Sir Tim Berners-Lee, the founder of the world wide web.

The file contains the 24 million address details of everyone in the UK and is vital for everyone from marketing firms to the emergency services.
They all pay a fee to access the file, which is run at arms length by Royal Mail, to get access to up-to-date addresses.
The Daily Telegraph disclosed concerns from Sir Tim as well as the Government’s own data advisers in April that Royal Mail would be allowed to hike charges to the file to make money if it was sold off.

However, after ministers decided to include the file in the privatisation, Royal Mail has unveiled new access terms to the database. It said micro-businesses – those with fewer than nine employees and less than £2million turnover annually – could have free access for a year.

Similarly charities with a turnover of less than £10million a year would be allowed unlimited access to the database.

The number of enquiries to the file over the internet from members of the public was being increased from 15 to 50 a day.

Royal Mail also said it was planning to consult next month on “a wide-ranging package of licensing reforms to change the regime to better enable it to meet the needs of users and innovators in today’s marketplace”.

It said: “Royal Mail and the Government recognise that PAF is also a key component in thousands of other applications which support business efficiency and growth.

“We are committed to driving increased usage of this data-set and thus innovation in the data business community to the benefit of the UK economy. We recognise that further simplification and improvement to the current licensing arrangements is required.”