Royal Mail doubled stamp price branded ‘unfair’

The cost of a Royal Mail first class stamp rose again this week, and it will now cost more than double what it did just five years ago, in 2020. A survey found that more than two-thirds of Brits find the rising cost to be unfair.

Have your say! Are Royal Mail stamps still a fair way to get a letter to anywhere in the country? Have you struggled to justify sending a letter in recent times? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.

The latest price hikes were made at the start of this week, with the cost of a first class stamp rising from £1.65 to £1.70. A second class stamp went up 2p, to 87p. Other services have risen too, such as the large first class from £2.60 to £3.10, but a large second class has stayed the same at £1.55.

READ MORE: UK petrol and diesel car sales ban changed again – have your say

READ MORE: ‘I rode the free Silvertown Tunnel Superloop bus on the day it opened and couldn’t believe how quick it was’

The cost of the first class stamp has risen eight times since 2020, when the service was priced at 76p, reports the Mirror. A survey by Citizens Advice reported that a third of Brits would struggle to afford a book of eight stamps, now costing £13.60.

16% of people said they would struggle to afford a single first class stamp, while 22% would at pains to justify spending the nearly £7 to get a book of second class stamps. The ‘premium’ services are still important to people, however, with a third saying that they had used a next-day or signed-for service to ensure something got to its destination on time.

Tom MacInnes, director of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Royal Mail’s unfair price hikes are making post less affordable, and will hit low-income households and older people the hardest. People from these groups are more likely to be digitally excluded and rely on mail.

“These price increases are worsened by the fact people simply can’t rely on their first or second-class mail being delivered on time – proven by Royal Mail’s failure to meet any annual delivery targets for half a decade. Ofcom must act.

“The regulator is considering slashing deliveries and relaxing targets but these moves must go hand-in-hand with a curb on price increases. Otherwise, Royal Mail has no incentive, as a monopoly provider, to deliver the service consumers deserve.”

A Royal Mail spokeswoman said: “UK households on average spend less than £7 a year on stamps, and customers have the choice to post letters second class for just 87p nationwide or pay more if they want a next-day service. Royal Mail carefully considers prices and seeks to keep them as low as possible given the increasing cost of delivering mail.

“A complex and extensive network of trucks, planes and 85,000 posties is needed to deliver across the country for a single price. Ofcom has recognised that reform is urgently needed to protect the one-price-goes-anywhere universal service which requires Royal Mail to deliver letters to around 32 million UK addresses six days a week.”

Have your say! Are Royal Mail stamps still a fair way to get a letter to anywhere in the country? Have you struggled to justify sending a letter in recent times? Comment below, and join in on the conversation.