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A significant overhaul of Royal Mail deliveries begins today, marking a substantial transformation in the service. Starting on Monday, July 28, second-class letters will no longer be delivered on Saturdays but instead on alternate weekends.
Ofcom has indicated that changes to the postal service are necessary due to a decline in letter sending, resulting in increased stamp prices as delivery costs rise. Second-class letters will now be delivered on either Monday, Wednesday, and Friday or Tuesday and Thursday over a two-week period, reports Birmingham Live.
Natalie Black, Ofcom’s group director for networks and communications, stated: “These changes are in the best interests of consumers and businesses, as urgent reform of the postal service is necessary to give it the best chance of survival.”
She added: “The company now has to play its part and implement this effectively.”
The announcement was welcomed by Royal Mail’s parent company, International Distribution Services (IDS), which described it as “good news for customers across the UK” and supportive of a “reliable, efficient and financially sustainable Universal Service”.
IDS CEO Martin Seidenberg remarked that the adjustments mirror the “realities of how customers send and receive mail today”.
However, Citizens Advice expressed concern, citing Royal Mail’s “woeful track record of failing to meet delivery targets, all the while ramping up postage costs”.
Tom MacInnes, Citizens Advice director of policy, said Ofcom had “missed a major opportunity to bring about meaningful change”.
“Pushing ahead with plans to slash services and relax delivery targets in the name of savings won’t automatically make letter deliveries more reliable or improve standards,” he said.
The UK Greeting Card Association also criticised the move, saying it was “concerned that a reduction in the second-class service, would lead to a reliance on uncapped, unregulated first-class mail that is increasingly unaffordable for businesses and consumers alike”.
The Liberal Democrats said Ofcom’s announcement was a “deeply worrying decision that could leave countless people who rely on these deliveries in the lurch”.
“People need to know that their post will arrive on time so they can go about their lives, and this move flies right in the face of that,” said the party’s business spokesperson, Sarah Olney.
