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Stamp prices are set to rise again next month as “the cost of delivering mail continues to increase”.
Royal Mail has confirmed the cost of a First-Class stamp will rise by 5p to £1.70 from April 7, with the price of a Second-Class stamp increasing by 2p to 87p. Prices have risen sharply over the past five years and were 76p and 65p respectively in 2020.
There have been notable increases in the price of First-Class stamps over the past two years in particular with the cost rising to £1.10 in April 2023 and it has gone up regularly since then, including a 30p rise in October 2024.
Royal Mail says it “carefully considers prices, balancing affordability with the increasing cost of delivering mail”. It added that the number of letters sent has dropped sharply over the past 20 years, falling from 20 billion a year in 2004/5 to 6.7 billion in 2023/24. It could drop to 4 billion a year “within the next four years”.
Meanwhile, the number of addresses has risen by four million “meaning the cost of each delivery continues to rise”.
Nick Landon, chief commercial officer at Royal Mail, said: “We always consider price changes very carefully but the cost of delivering mail continues to increase. A complex and extensive network of trucks, planes and 85,000 posties is needed to ensure we can deliver across the country for just 87p.
“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. Reform will allow continued investment in the modernisation and transformation of the business to provide a more financially sustainable service.”
Royal Mail says the new prices remain “below the European average (across 29 countries) prices of £1.41 for Second Class and £1.87 for First Class mail”.
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