Royal Mail trials postbox with parcel hatch, solar panels and barcode scanner
Royal Mail has unveiled a solar-powered 'postbox of the future' with a built-in barcode reader and a hatch to accept parcels larger than letterbox size.
In the 'biggest change to postbox design since their introduction more than 175 years ago', the hi-tech pillar box looks as if it is wearing a jaunty beret. The black, chequered lid is in fact solar panels that power the scanner.
The postbox's extra-large opening hatch offers a new way for the postal service to cash in on a roaring parcel trade. While letter volumes are in steep decline, Britain is in the grip of a secondhand selling boom as consumers use sites such as Vinted to make extra cash.
In a process that will be familiar to those with side hustles, the postboxes can be used to drop off packages that have barcoded postage. Once customers have scanned their code – the postbox's batteries store energy to power its scanner when there is no sun – the drawer on the front opens. They can then use the Royal Mail app to request 'proof of posting'.
With competition fierce among delivery services, Royal Mail said the redesigned postboxes would make it easier and more convenient for customers to use its network. There are 115,000 postboxes in the UK, and the company flagged the potential to adapt 'thousands' to accept larger parcels.
The red pillarbox has a storied history, with the author Anthony Trollope proposing their introduction in the 1850s when he was working as a surveyor's clerk for the Post Office. The design was not standardised until 1859 when two sizes with a cylindrical shape, painted green, were settled upon. However, people complained that green was difficult to spot and, in 1874, the distinctive red colour was chosen to replace it, although it took 10 years to repaint them all.
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'. You may have to wait for one near you, though, as the trial involves just five in the Ware, Hertford and Fowlmere areas of Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire.
News of the postbox pilot comes before the imminent sale of Royal Mail's parent company, International Distribution Services, to the Czech energy billionaire Daniel Křetínský's EP Group in a £3.57bn deal.
At the same time, Royal Mail is grappling with a shake-up of postal service rules it must follow. As part of a modernisation plan drawn up by Ofcom, it would only have to deliver second-class letters on alternate weekdays. However, the regulator also wants to set new reliability targets requiring 99.5% of first-class letters to be delivered within three days, and 99.5% of second-class letters within five days.
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In Royal Mail's response to the consultation, published on Wednesday, it complained that these targets would 'add significant cost', potentially resulting in even higher prices for consumers. (On Monday, the price of a first-class stamp increased by 5p to £1.70, while second-class stamps went up by 2p to 87p.)
The company also called for the rules to be changed so it could offer tracking on all parcels sent first- or second-class around the UK. Currently, customers are required to select and pay for a tracked service, rather than allowing Royal Mail to offer tracking for letters and parcels sent using standard postage services.
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BBC News
2 hours ago
- BBC News
Post Office Horizon IT scandal compensation hits £1bn
More than a billion pounds has now been paid out in compensation to victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal, according to new government figures.A total of £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes, the latest monthly figures Office Minister Gareth Thomas said: "We are settling cases every day and getting compensation out more quickly for the most complex cases, but the job isn't done until every postmaster has received fair and just redress."More than 4,000 people have been told they are eligible for compensation. But the schemes they need to access to get it can be long-winded and broken down how they work. What are the main compensation schemes? There isn't a single compensation scheme for sub-postmasters to apply to, and individual eligibility will depend on the particular circumstances of an individual's four main schemes are aimed at groups of victims who had different experiences of the scandal. They are explained in more detail in the following sections. Which scheme is available to Alan Bates and others depicted in the ITV drama? Alan Bates led a group of 555 sub-postmasters in a landmark court case against the Post Office, which came to wider public attention after it was depicted in an ITV the cohort secured a £42.5m settlement in 2019, the huge costs of going to the High Court meant each claimant received a relatively low compensation pay-out at the end of Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme was set up to ensure they received extra money to reflect the gravity of their situations. The scheme is funded and managed by the of January 2024, people eligible for this scheme "will receive at least £75,000 in compensation upfront".The government estimates around two thirds will turn that offer down and push for more. In those cases, the government will award postmasters 80% of the initial offer made to 9 September, Labour said it will set a target of making an offer to 90% of sub-postmasters who have submitted a full claim within 40 of 31 January, £128m has been paid under the scheme, including interim the 555 members of the GLO group, 63 had criminal convictions and therefore are not eligible for this scheme but they are eligible for other compensation - depending on how their convictions are they are quashed by the court, they can apply to the Overturned Convictions Scheme. If they are overturned under legislation - the Post Office (Horizon System) Offences Act 2024 which became law in May - they can go to the newer Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme. What compensation is there for people with overturned convictions? There have been 983 convictions - 700 of which were privately initiated by the Post Office - linked to the faulty Horizon IT whose convictions are quashed can apply to the Overturned Convictions Scheme, whether or not they are in the GLO group. It is this scheme that the government has taken over responsibility for from the Post Office.A total of 111 people have had their convictions overturned as of 31 when the government's promised law to overturn all convictions linked to the scandal becomes a reality, hundreds more people will be whose convictions are overturned can choose to take a fast-tracked £600,000 settlement. Or they can enter into negotiations if they feel they are entitled to eligible people are entitled to an "interim" payment while their final settlements are processed. The government has provided funding to the Post Office for these those people whose conviction is overturned through the new law, they can register for the Horizon Convictions Redress will entitle them to an initial £200,000 interim payment. They can then decide to accept £600,000 or have their case fully of 31 January, external, £65m has been paid out under this scheme including further interim latest figures show that out of 111 eligible claimants in the OCS scheme, 82 claims for full and final settlements have been made with 66 paid out.A further seven have received offers. The remaining nine are awaiting offers from Post Office Ltd. More on the Post Office scandal Why were hundreds of Post Office workers prosecuted?PM backs calls to knight Post Office campaignerPost Office paid Fujitsu £95m to extend HorizonCan scheme to quash Post Office convictions work? What about sub-postmasters who weren't convicted? The Post Office scandal goes far beyond the original GLO court case and the people who wound up with criminal prosecution, some sub-postmasters poured their own savings into their businesses to make up losses that were incorrectly calculated by the computer September, the Labour government announced a new independent appeals process system called the Horizon Shortfall Scheme intended for those sub-postmasters who weren't convicted or part of the GLO court means they can appeal if they feel their financial settlement did not reflect the true extent of their losses and is administered by the Post Office but the independent appeals process will be overseen by the Department for Business. Post Office Minister Gareth Thomas said he was still considering whether to transfer this scheme to the government as has received more than 4,665 eligible claims so far, according to data, external from the Department for Business and Trade. How many people are eligible for compensation overall? The number of people eligible for one of the three main schemes stands at over 4,000 - and the government has said new potential victims are still coming is unclear how many of them will end up receiving payments, and the processes - which have been criticised by campaigners for being too slow - can sometimes take several years. What about people who died before receiving compensation? On 10 January 2024, the then Post Office Minister Kevin Hollinrake told the Commons the families of the 60 people who died before receiving any compensation would be able to apply for it in their place. How much compensation has been paid out so far? As of 2 June 2025, approximately £1.039bn has been awarded to just over 7,300 sub-postmasters across all four redress schemes. That total breaks down as:Horizon Shortfall Scheme - £559mGroup Litigation Order Scheme - £167mOverturned Convictions Scheme -£68mHorizon Convictions Redress Scheme - £245mThe amount an individual sub-postmaster receives can vary greatly depending on the circumstances of their Chris Hodges, chair of the the independent Horizon Compensation Advisory Board, told the BBC compensation payments that have been made so far range from £10,000 to "well over £1m".The government has not provided an estimate for how much compensation will be paid out in total, but it will inevitably run into the hundreds of millions on top of what has already been paid.
Glasgow Times
2 hours ago
- Glasgow Times
More than £1 billion paid to those wronged by Horizon scandal, Government says
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said money has now been paid out to more than 7,300 subpostmasters across all Horizon-related redress schemes. The announcement comes just weeks after lead campaigner and former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates said the schemes had 'turned into quasi-kangaroo courts'. Sir Alan told the Sunday Times last month that DBT 'sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses'. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Many are still awaiting compensation. In figures published on Monday, DBT said £559 million has been paid out to 6,337 claimants from the Horizon shortfall scheme. The data also says that of the 555 people who joined Sir Alan Bates in taking the Post Office to court between 2017 and 2019, also known as the Group Litigation Order Scheme (GLO), 488 have received £167 million between them. Elsewhere, £245 million has been paid out to 463 subpostmasters who had their convictions quashed by legislation put in place last summer, and £68 million has been paid to those who have had their convictions quashed in the courts, DBT said. Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said: 'Since entering Government, it has been our priority to speed up the delivery of compensation to victims of the Horizon scandal and today's milestone shows how much progress has been made. 'We are settling cases every day and getting compensation out more quickly for the most complex cases, but the job isn't done until every postmaster has received fair and just redress.' Post Office chief executive Neil Brocklehurst said: 'I welcome the news that over £1 billion has been paid to victims of the Horizon IT Scandal. 'Each week we are seeing more people receive their final settlements so they can begin to look beyond this painful chapter of their lives. 'However, I am also aware that more work remains to be done so that all victims receive full redress as quickly as possible and this is an absolute priority for the Post Office. 'And finally, to anyone else who thinks they may have been affected, I encourage you to come forward and apply for redress.'
South Wales Guardian
2 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
More than £1 billion paid to those wronged by Horizon scandal, Government says
The Department for Business and Trade (DBT) said money has now been paid out to more than 7,300 subpostmasters across all Horizon-related redress schemes. The announcement comes just weeks after lead campaigner and former subpostmaster Sir Alan Bates said the schemes had 'turned into quasi-kangaroo courts'. Sir Alan told the Sunday Times last month that DBT 'sits in judgement of the claims and alters the goal posts as and when it chooses'. Between 1999 and 2015, more than 900 subpostmasters were prosecuted after faulty Horizon accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Many are still awaiting compensation. In figures published on Monday, DBT said £559 million has been paid out to 6,337 claimants from the Horizon shortfall scheme. The data also says that of the 555 people who joined Sir Alan Bates in taking the Post Office to court between 2017 and 2019, also known as the Group Litigation Order Scheme (GLO), 488 have received £167 million between them. Elsewhere, £245 million has been paid out to 463 subpostmasters who had their convictions quashed by legislation put in place last summer, and £68 million has been paid to those who have had their convictions quashed in the courts, DBT said. Post Office minister Gareth Thomas said: 'Since entering Government, it has been our priority to speed up the delivery of compensation to victims of the Horizon scandal and today's milestone shows how much progress has been made. 'We are settling cases every day and getting compensation out more quickly for the most complex cases, but the job isn't done until every postmaster has received fair and just redress.' Post Office chief executive Neil Brocklehurst said: 'I welcome the news that over £1 billion has been paid to victims of the Horizon IT Scandal. 'Each week we are seeing more people receive their final settlements so they can begin to look beyond this painful chapter of their lives. 'However, I am also aware that more work remains to be done so that all victims receive full redress as quickly as possible and this is an absolute priority for the Post Office. 'And finally, to anyone else who thinks they may have been affected, I encourage you to come forward and apply for redress.'
