Related Articles
The price has risen year on year and shows no sign of slowing down.
Brits who regularly send letters and packages in the post are set to be hit once again as it has been reported that the price of stamps is set to rise again in April. As a result, this new price hike will mean that first-class stamps will now be over £1 more expensive than they were in 2020.
This annual rise comes as concerns have been rising around the performance of the Royal Mail, who have repeatedly failed to meet its delivery targets as less people are choosing to use the service. On April 7, the second-class stamp will jump up by 4p to 91p, while the first-class stamps will cost a whopping £1.80 (increase of 10p).
Shockingly, in comparison to the 2020 pricing the first-class stamp has jumped up by 137 per cent. At the beginning of the pandemic, a first-class stamp cost just 76p. However, it has since risen eight times over the six-year period. This hike also means a book of eight stamps will cost £14.40 on April 7, while it was £6.08 in 2020.
Meanwhile, a second-class stamp cost 65p before rising annually. These soaring prices come as the Royal Mail revealed last month that it has missed delivery targets for the most recent quarter, reports the Mirror. In fact, the service has been reported to have not met its annual delivery target since the 2019-2020 financial year.
As stamp prices continue to increase, Money Saving Expert founder Martin Lewis previously shared some advice for worried Brits. He said: “For years, every time stamps go up in price I’ve suggested people stock up and bulk-buy in advance.
“As long as the stamp doesn’t have a price on it and instead just says the postage class, it’s still valid after the hike. So you may as well stock up now, even if it’s just for Christmas cards for the next few Christmases.”
The Royal Mail has been called in to face a committee of MPs who have raised concerns about the “chaos” in the postal service that has been evident since Christmas. It has also noted that there have been suggestions that some letters are being delivered in “batches”.
Anne Pardoe, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “More than half-a-decade has gone by since the company met its delivery targets and people still face a gamble, with many uncertain if their important documents or letters like medical appointments will arrive on time.
“Things only risk getting worse when cuts to delivery days and reduced performance targets come into full effect. Against this backdrop, Ofcom simply cannot wave through these increases any longer. Higher prices must come with higher standards – increases should be tied to Royal Mail’s performance on the doorstep.”
However, the Royal Mail has said that the stamp rises reflect the continued increase in delivery costs as the letter volumes have fallen while the number of addresses have increased.
Richard Travers, managing director of letters at Royal Mail, said: “We always consider price changes very carefully, balancing affordability with the rising cost of delivering mail.
On average, UK adults now spend just £6.50 each year on stamps and there are 70 per cent fewer letters sent than 20 years ago. In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK.”
Join the Daily Record WhatsApp community!
Get the latest news sent straight to your messages by joining our WhatsApp community today.
You’ll receive daily updates on breaking news as well as the top headlines across Scotland.
No one will be able to see who is signed up and no one can send messages except the Daily Record team.
All you have to do is click here, select ‘Join Community’ and you’re in!
We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don’t like our community, you can check out any time you like.
To leave our community click on the name at the top of your screen and choose ‘exit group’.
If you’re curious, you can read our Privacy Notice.
Additionally, the Royal Mail has argued that UK stamps will still cost less than the European average despite the price hikes. One average in Europe, a second-class stamp costs £1.56 and a first-class stamp costs £1.93.
Last June the Royal Mail’s owner, International Distribution Services (IDS), was bought for £3.6billion by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group. Since its acquisition, the firm has repeated its call for reforms to “urgently move” the service forward.
Recent changes to the delivery service include Ofcom clearing the Royal Mail to scrap second-class letter deliveries on Saturdays, as well as changing the service to every other weekday.
However, while the changes were trialled at 35 delivery offices, the Royal Mail has failed to come to an agreement with the Communications Workers Union (CWU) on how to roll the service out to be universally used across its 1,200-strong network.
While intensive talks ended on March 2, this has been extended for another two weeks to allow both sides to reach an agreement.
Travers added: “To protect the service for the future, we need to urgently move forward with implementing universal service reform to support a more modern, more reliable and more sustainable service for our customers.”
Source link
