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Royal Mail is gearing up for a significant overhaul of its postal services in multiple locations across the UK, including major cities. Under the new scheme, second class deliveries on Saturdays will be discontinued in several areas such as Bristol, Cardiff, Coventry, Darlington, Hull, London, Nottingham, Salisbury, and Winchester.
Furthermore, towns such as Antrim, Stockton-on-Tees, Hexham, and Scunthorpe will also be impacted by these adjustments. Nearly one million homes are set to experience a trial wherein second class mail will be delivered every other working day instead of the usual schedule, sparking worries that certain areas may not revert to their current service levels after the experiment.
News of the changes, first reported by the Mail on Sunday, came ahead of Ofcom confirming whether it will grant permission to axe second class post on Saturdays.
Ofcom has previously indicated that by removing second class mail from Saturday’s lineup, Royal Mail might boost its overall reliability, achieve cost savings, and shift resources more towards parcel delivery. Further consultations regarding possible amendments to the Universal Service Agreement are scheduled early this year by Ofcom, with decisions on Royal Mail reforms anticipated in the summer season.
Should these changes go ahead, they could be implemented nationwide by 2026, reports the Express.
However, there has been criticism from groups such as Silver Voices, which advocates for senior citizens. Dennis Reed, the director of Silver Voices, alleged that Royal Mail authorities appear so eager to degrade the caliber of the UK’s postal service that they’re prematurely rolling out this “so-called trial” ahead of receiving the green light from Ofcom.
In his words to the Mail: “This trial will be seen as the thin end of the wedge. The Government seems content for our former world class postal service to be run down.”
A Royal Mail spokesperson commented: “Working with our unions, CWU and Unite CMA, we plan to pilot a new delivery model in 37 of our c.1,200 delivery offices in the new year. The first pilot is due to start in February 2025 with a staggered roll out over the following months.”
“The pilots are designed to ensure everything runs smoothly and we can deliver a better customer experience if we deploy any Universal Service changes.”
“We will only look to implement our new operating model if Ofcom’s new regulations come into force. Until then, the current regulatory framework remains in place and any proposals are subject to change.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We’re speaking to postal users to understand how the universal service could evolve while continuing to meet their needs.”
“We’ll consult publicly on proposals early this year, and we understand Royal Mail plans to carry out pilots in light of any proposals we make.”
Under the existing system, Royal Mail is obligated to provide six-day-a-week deliveries nationwide, with charges set at £1.65 for a first-class stamp and 85p for second class.
Royal Mail has previously stated that should its proposed alterations be approved, it would likely lead to fewer than 1,000 voluntary redundancies.
Last year, Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s takeover of the Royal Mail was approved by the Labour Government. It marked a historic moment as the postal service is owned by foreign investors for the first time in its over 500-year history.
