- Written by Michael Race
- BBC News business reporter
image source, Getty Images
Royal Mail could reduce the number of days a week it delivers letters from six to five or even three days a week under proposed service reforms.
A regulator's report says the postal service is becoming “obsolete” and action needs to be taken.
Ofcom said another option could be to extend the number of days it takes for most letters to be delivered.
Royal Mail said its current delivery network was “unsustainable” and reform was “urgently needed”.
The company, which was spun off and privatized from the Post Office a decade ago, is legally required to provide universal service at one price everywhere. That means letters must be delivered six days a week, Monday through Saturday, and parcels must be delivered. Monday through Friday.
In recent years, the volume of letters posted has plummeted, with half as many mailed compared to 2011 levels, while parcel delivery has become more popular and profitable.
Royal Mail's performance has also suffered, with customers often not receiving letters regarding medical appointments or legal documents on time.
Dame Melanie Dawes, Ofcom's chief executive, said the regulator would share its options for reforming services and put them up for a “national debate”, with an update expected in the summer.
“We have to do something, or the service will either become too expensive and the price of stamps will go up, or it will become unsustainable,” she told BBC Breakfast.
“Saturday is sacred”
The government said it does not support the idea of abolishing Saturday postal deliveries.
Posts Minister Kevin Hollinrake told BBC Royal Mail that the government needed to “do more” and that it was “happy to engage in dialogue” about reform.
But it insisted Saturday deliveries were “sacrosanct” and six-day deliveries would continue.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said the government was “absolutely committed” to keeping Royal Mail's universal service obligations as they are.
Ofcom estimates that reducing delivery days to five days a week could save between £100 million and £200 million a year, and reducing delivery days to just three days a week could save between £400 million and £650 million.
However, shortening delivery times and reforming the postal service will require the government and parliament to change current laws.
An alternative option is to reduce the delivery speed for most letters to 3 days or less. Ofcom said this would save between £150m and £650m, but the regulator said the next-day service must be available for urgent letters.
Under Ofcom's current regulations, Royal Mail is required to deliver 93% of first class mail within one working day and 98.5% of second class mail within three working days each year, but by 2022 /In 2023, the company delivered only 73.7% of first-class mail and 90.7% of second-class mail. Percentage of second-class mail on schedule.
This has left many dissatisfied customers, including Peter Rimmer, from Ormskirk, Lancashire, who told the BBC he already only receives one post a week. Ta.
A former public relations manager, 78, said that his mail always arrives in bundles from different mailers.
Last week, I received a Christmas card that was mailed on December 8th, with the correct address and a first class stamp. “This is not a regular service,” he said.
image source, peter rimmer
Peter Rimmer received a Christmas card on Friday that was mailed to him in first class on December 8, six weeks ago.
Royal Mail previously revealed it wanted to change delivery days from six days a week to five days a week, Monday to Friday only. The business, owned by International Distribution Services plc, posted a loss of £319m in the first half of this year.
Martin Seidenberg, Royal Mail's group chief executive, said a previous “lack of action” on reform meant the company was now facing a “much more serious situation”. He said that
But the Communications Workers Union (CWU), which represents postal workers, said it would not subscribe to the three-day delivery service, saying it would “destroy” Royal Mail and “impact on thousands of jobs”. .
“There is no easy path.”
Ofcom said the UK was “not alone” in needing reform of its postal service. The report said Sweden, Belgium, Norway and Denmark have reduced the number of days or extended delivery times for letters in recent years.
However, Mrs Melanie said that neither shortening nor extending delivery times would be an “easy path” for the company as it would need to meet set delivery targets.
Ofcom said the company's recent poor performance, which resulted in a £5.6 million fine for failing to meet delivery targets, showed that people were currently not receiving a reliable service. . The regulator said its research showed that people value affordability and reliability most when it comes to letter postage.
Morgan Wilde, interim policy director at charity Citizens Advice, said changes to the universal postal service needed to prioritize consumers “rather than Royal Mail's interests”.
“We agree that improved reliability is essential,” he added. “Cutting services will not automatically make letter delivery more reliable, so we need to see proposals to address the causes of Royal Mail's continued failures.”
Are you affected by the issues raised in this story? Share your experience by email haveyoursay@bbc.co.uk.
If you would like to speak to a BBC journalist, please include your contact number. You can also contact us by:
If you are reading this page and cannot see the form, please visit the mobile version of the BBC website to submit your questions or comments, or email HaveYourSay@bbc.co.uk. When applying, please enter your name, age, and location.
