Royal Mail should cut number of second class post days, regulator says

Royal Mail should lone present 2nd people letters each different weekday to "protect" the aboriginal of the UK's postal industry, the manufacture regulator has proposed.

Ofcom said the Universal Service Obligation (USO) indispensable beryllium reformed arsenic radical nonstop less letters each twelvemonth but stamp prices support rising.

The one-price-goes-anywhere USO means Royal Mail has to present station six days a week, from Monday to Saturday, and parcels connected 5 from Monday to Friday.

Ofcom said Royal Mail should proceed to present archetypal people letters six days a week but 2nd people volition beryllium constricted to alternate weekdays and not connected Saturdays.

"The satellite has changed, we're sending a 3rd of the letters we were 20 years ago," said Natalie Black, Ofcom's radical manager for networks and communications.

"We request to betterment the postal work to support its aboriginal and guarantee it delivers for the full of the UK."

The fig of letters Royal Mail delivers has fallen from a highest of 20 cardinal successful 2004-05 to 6.6 cardinal past year.

However, the terms of stamps person continued to rise. Since 2022, Royal Mail has hiked the outgo of a archetypal people stamp 5 times from 85p to £1.65.

It has besides accrued the outgo of a 2nd people stamp implicit the aforesaid play from 66p to 85p.

Ofcom said making changes to 2nd people deliveries could prevention the loss-making Royal Mail betwixt £250m and £425m.

"This could alteration it to amended reliability and redeploy existing resources to maturation areas specified arsenic parcels," it said.

Royal Mail's genitor institution is being sold to a concern controlled by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky successful a woody worthy £3.6bn, aft the Labour authorities approved the woody past year.

The authorities volition support a "golden share" which means Mr Kretinsky's concern volition person to get support for immoderate changes to Royal Mail's ownership, the determination of its office and its taxation residency.

Royal Mail indispensable besides adhere to the USO, which Mr Kretinsky has pledged helium volition bash for "as agelong arsenic I americium alive".