Royal Mail ‘trials’ postbox shake-up with millions of UK households warned

Royal Mail is set to trial a huge new change to post boxes everyone will HATE. The Royal Mail is trialling a postbox with a parcel hatch, solar panels and barcode scanner – with five new boxes in Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire enable company to cash in on boom in secondhand selling.

In the “biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago”, the shake-up helps consumers who use sites such as Vinted, Etsy, Amazon, Facebook Marketplace and Depop, to make extra cash.

The postboxes can be used to drop off packages that have barcoded postage. Once customers have scanned their code, the drawer on the front opens. They can then use the Royal Mail app to request “proof of posting”.

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There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK, and the company flagged the potential to adapt “thousands” to accept larger parcels.

The Royal Mail’s chief executive, Emma Gilthorpe, said that “in an era where letter volumes continue to decline and parcels are booming, we are giving our iconic postboxes a new lease of life on street corners across the nation”.

Royal Mail usually raises stamp prices once a year, typically providing about a month’s notice before the changes take effect. This year, the price increase was announced on March 7, with the new rates starting April 7.

The company says the hike is due to a continued decline in letter-sending.

Last week, Royal Mail announced that following a Board decision it is moving to a fully franchised network as part of its commitment to deliver a ‘New Deal for Postmasters.’

Subject to Government funding, the last 108 Directly Managed Branches which are operated by the Post Office will be franchised by the autumn. This means that those communities that currently have a Directly Managed Branch in their area will continue to be able to access Post Office services either at, or near to, the same location.