Government has decided to keep UK postcodes as closed data, not open to public access
The Postcode Address File (PAF), a comprehensive database containing every postal address and postcode in the UK, remains under the ownership of Royal Mail following the company's privatisation. This decision has stirred debate among open data campaigners, who argue for increased accessibility to the valuable dataset.
Royal Mail currently charges a licence fee to users, which covers the cost of maintaining the PAF database. However, the decision to keep PAF within Royal Mail's possession does not obligate the company to release it as open data, as a private company.
Nigel Shadbolt, chair of the Open Data Institute, considers the PAF to be the "most requested data set" and believes that its privatisation presents an opportunity to maximise the economic advantage of the dataset. Shadbolt's ideal scenario would involve taking the PAF out of Royal Mail's hands and making it open data.
The conclusions of Ofcom's consultation on what constitutes a "reasonable" cost for the PAF license will dictate what Royal Mail can do with the PAF after its privatisation. Open data campaigners have called for the PAF to be released into the public domain following Royal Mail's privatisation.
Campaigners for open data generally argue that making the PAF more accessible would unlock economic and social benefits. The retention of PAF as a private monopoly has been met with frustration and criticism from these groups, who view privatisation as potentially further entrenching monopolistic control over essential address data.
Historically, open data campaigners have criticised Royal Mail's control of PAF because it restricts free public access to detailed and accurate UK address data, limiting innovation and competition in location-based services and other sectors.
The PAF is used by approximately 37,000 third-party organisations, including businesses, for purposes such as data quality management, online address capture, insurance premium calculation, and market research.
In the absence of specific government or Royal Mail announcements on changes to PAF's ownership or access policy, open data advocates continue to push for increased transparency and accessibility to the valuable dataset.
Businesses and finance sectors heavily rely on the Postcode Address File (PAF) for various purposes, such as data quality management, online address capture, insurance premium calculation, and market research, with approximately 37,000 organizations relying on it.
Campaigners for open data argue that making the PAF more accessible would unlock economic and social benefits by fostering innovation and competition in location-based services and other sectors, as well as reducing Royal Mail's monopolistic control over essential address data following its privatisation.
