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Scottish Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- Scottish Sun
Huge change to Royal Mail deliveries from TOMORROW as part of massive shake-up
The major change is set to come into effect tomorrow - so be sure to read below to see how it could impact you SENDING A MESSAGE Huge change to Royal Mail deliveries from TOMORROW as part of massive shake-up Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) ROYAL Mail is making a huge change to deliveries as part of a massive shake-up. Starting from tomorrow, Monday, July 28, second class letters will be delivered on alternate weekends and not on Saturday's. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 1 This table can help you understand what the change will look like Under current one-price-goes-everywhere USO rules the postal service has to deliver post six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. The Universal Service Obligation (USO) requires Royal Mail to deliver letters and parcels to all UK addresses at a uniform price, regardless of location. It also must drop off parcels on five days from Monday to Friday. The shake-up was revealed earlier this month, after Ofcom said reform was needed as people are sending less post. As a result, stamp prices keep rising and the cost of delivering letters goes up. The industry regulator said first-class mail should land on doorsteps six days a week. But starting from July 28, second-class letters will be delivered on alternate weekends. Letters will still be delivered within three working days of collection - Monday to Friday. The change follows a consultation with thousands of people and businesses from various organisations. Speaking at the time, Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for networks and communications said reform of the postal service was "necessary". eBay Parcel Surprise: Rare Stamps Galore! It comes after a series of changes at the British postal service. In April, the cost of a first-class stamp went up by 5p, now costing £1.70. Second-class stamps rose by 2p to 87p. Meanwhile, posting a first-class large letter up to 100g now costs £3.15, up from £2.60. And first-class small parcels weighing up to 2kg rose from £4.79 to £4.99, while second-class jumped from £3.75 to £3.90. WHAT DO THE CHANGES MEAN? Ofcom has previously said affordability and reliability are more important to Royal Mail customers than the speed of delivery. But they do value having a next-day service for when they need to send the occasional urgent item. Ofcom will therefore continue to require the Royal Mail to deliver First Class letters the next working day, Monday to Saturday. It will also continue to cap the price of a second class stamp. But Ofcom said customers have told it that most letters are not urgent so they do not need six days a week delivery for the majority of letters. Ofcom believes that the changes will save Royal Mail between £250million and £425million a year. NO SERVICE DAYS ROYAL Mail operates round the clock throughout most of the year. But there are a handful of days when no delivery and collection services are offered: New Year's Day Good Friday Easter Monday Early May Bank Holiday Spring Bank Holiday Summer Bank Holiday Christmas Day Boxing Day The regulator is also making a small change to Royal Mail's existing delivery targets. Currently it needs to deliver 93% of all first class post the next day but this will be reduced to 90%. Meanwhile, 95% of all second class mail will now need to be delivered within three days - down from 98.5%. But many people have said they have experienced long delays where letters have taken weeks to arrive. To tackle this, Ofcom has set Royal Mail a new backstop that 99% of all mail has to be delivered no more than two days late. Do you have a money problem that needs sorting? Get in touch by emailing money-sm@ Plus, you can join our Sun Money Chats and Tips Facebook group to share your tips and stories
The Sun
4 days ago
- Business
- The Sun
Huge change to Royal Mail deliveries from TOMORROW as part of massive shake-up
ROYAL Mail is making a huge change to deliveries as part of a massive shake-up. Starting from tomorrow, Monday, July 28, second class letters will be delivered on alternate weekends and not on Saturday's. Under current one-price-goes-everywhere USO rules the postal service has to deliver post six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. The Universal Service Obligation (USO) requires Royal Mail to deliver letters and parcels to all UK addresses at a uniform price, regardless of location. It also must drop off parcels on five days from Monday to Friday. The shake-up was revealed earlier this month, after Ofcom said reform was needed as people are sending less post. As a result, stamp prices keep rising and the cost of delivering letters goes up. The industry regulator said first-class mail should land on doorsteps six days a week. But starting from July 28, second-class letters will be delivered on alternate weekends. Letters will still be delivered within three working days of collection - Monday to Friday. The change follows a consultation with thousands of people and businesses from various organisations. Speaking at the time, Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for networks and communications said reform of the postal service was "necessary". It comes after a series of changes at the British postal service. In April, the cost of a first-class stamp went up by 5p, now costing £1.70. Second-class stamps rose by 2p to 87p. Meanwhile, posting a first-class large letter up to 100g now costs £3.15, up from £2.60. And first-class small parcels weighing up to 2kg rose from £4.79 to £4.99, while second-class jumped from £3.75 to £3.90. WHAT DO THE CHANGES MEAN? Ofcom has previously said affordability and reliability are more important to Royal Mail customers than the speed of delivery. But they do value having a next-day service for when they need to send the occasional urgent item. Ofcom will therefore continue to require the Royal Mail to deliver First Class letters the next working day, Monday to Saturday. It will also continue to cap the price of a second class stamp. But Ofcom said customers have told it that most letters are not urgent so they do not need six days a week delivery for the majority of letters. Ofcom believes that the changes will save Royal Mail between £250million and £425million a year. The regulator is also making a small change to Royal Mail's existing delivery targets. Currently it needs to deliver 93% of all first class post the next day but this will be reduced to 90%. Meanwhile, 95% of all second class mail will now need to be delivered within three days - down from 98.5%. But many people have said they have experienced long delays where letters have taken weeks to arrive. To tackle this, Ofcom has set Royal Mail a new backstop that 99% of all mail has to be delivered no more than two days late. .
South Wales Guardian
10-07-2025
- Business
- South Wales Guardian
Royal Mail allowed to scrap second-class post on Saturdays
At the moment, the courier adheres to the current one-price-goes-anywhere principle of the Universal Service Obligation (USO), which means it must deliver post six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. However, new reforms will allow the firm to stop delivering second-class mail on Saturdays and, instead, deliver it on an alternative mid-week day. First-class stamps will remain unaffected by this change, with letters using these still being delivered six days a week. We're reforming the UK's postal service so it delivers what people need: ✅ First Class still next-day Mon-Sat 📆 Second Class: every other weekday 🛑 New delivery targets to cut long delays 💷 2nd class stamp price cap remains 🔗 Discussing the change, Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for networks and communications, said: "These changes are in the best interests of consumers and businesses, as urgent reform of the postal service is necessary to give it the best chance of survival." 'But changing Royal Mail's obligations alone won't guarantee a better service – the company now has to play its part and implement this effectively. 'We'll be making sure Royal Mail is clear with its customers about what's happening, and passes the benefits of these changes on to them.' Other recent changes mean the company will have to deliver 90% of first-class mail next day, down from the current target of 93%, according to the BBC. 95% of second-class mail must be delivered within three days, a cut from the current 98.5%. There will also be a new target of 99% of mail being delivered no more than two days late to incentivise Royal Mail to cut down on long delays. The regulator has said that from July 28, Royal Mail will be allowed to axe the six-day-a-week delivery for second-class stamps.
Powys County Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Powys County Times
Royal Mail allowed to scrap second-class post on Saturdays
The Royal Mail has been given the go-ahead to scrap the delivery of second-class post on Saturdays by Ofcom. At the moment, the courier adheres to the current one-price-goes-anywhere principle of the Universal Service Obligation (USO), which means it must deliver post six days a week, from Monday to Saturday. However, new reforms will allow the firm to stop delivering second-class mail on Saturdays and, instead, deliver it on an alternative mid-week day. First-class stamps will remain unaffected by this change, with letters using these still being delivered six days a week. We're reforming the UK's postal service so it delivers what people need: ✅ First Class still next-day Mon-Sat 📆 Second Class: every other weekday 🛑 New delivery targets to cut long delays 💷 2nd class stamp price cap remains 🔗 — Ofcom (@Ofcom) July 10, 2025 Royal Mail given go-ahead to axe weekend deliveries for second-class stamps Discussing the change, Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for networks and communications, said: "These changes are in the best interests of consumers and businesses, as urgent reform of the postal service is necessary to give it the best chance of survival." 'But changing Royal Mail 's obligations alone won't guarantee a better service – the company now has to play its part and implement this effectively. 'We'll be making sure Royal Mail is clear with its customers about what's happening, and passes the benefits of these changes on to them.' Other recent changes mean the company will have to deliver 90% of first-class mail next day, down from the current target of 93%, according to the BBC. Recommended Reading: 95% of second-class mail must be delivered within three days, a cut from the current 98.5%. There will also be a new target of 99% of mail being delivered no more than two days late to incentivise Royal Mail to cut down on long delays.
Times
10-07-2025
- Business
- Times
Royal Mail to stop Saturday second-class letter deliveries
Royal Mail has been given the go-ahead to scrap second-class letter deliveries on Saturdays from the end of this month, the regulator has announced. Under reforms due to the decline of postal letters, rising prices and long delays, Royal Mail will shift to delivering second-class letters on alternate weekdays Monday to Friday. Ofcom, estimated the change, which will come into force from July 28, could save up to £425 million in annual net costs. • New Royal Mail owner tells workers: We need to be on the same ship It is hoped Royal Mail will invest the savings in improving its overall delivery performance, although those targets are also being lowered. First class will drop from 93 per cent to 90 per cent delivered the next day and second class from 98.5 per cent to 95 per cent delivered within three days. Ofcom has also set new enforceable targets so that 99 per cent of mail has to be delivered no more than two days late. Natalie Black, Ofcom's group director for networks and communications, said: 'These changes are in the best interests of consumers and businesses, as urgent reform of the postal service is necessary to give it the best chance of survival. 'But changing Royal Mail's obligations alone won't guarantee a better service; the company now has to play its part and implement this effectively. We'll be making sure Royal Mail is clear with its customers about what's happening, and passes the benefits of these changes on to them. 'As part of this process, we've been listening to concerns about increases in stamp prices. So we've launched a review of affordability and plan to publicly consult on this next year.' Royal Mail has been required under the universal service obligation to deliver first and second-class letters six days a week since 2011. Ofcom said the decline in the number of letters being sent had driven the cost of delivering each letter up. The regulator said its research suggested affordability and reliability were more important to people than speed of delivery. Royal Mail delivered 6.6 billion letters in 2023-24, down from 14.3 billion in 2011-12, a drop of more than half in just over ten years. Revenue from letters has also halved, from £6.9 billion to £3.7 billion. In 2023-24, Royal Mail made a loss of £348 million. The changes followed public consultation with people and organisations across the country. First-class letter deliveries will continue on Saturdays. A cap on the price of a second-class stamp will remain. The government said: 'The public expects a well-run postal service, with letters arriving on time across the country without it costing the earth. 'With the way people use postal services having changed, it's right the regulator has looked at this. 'We now need Royal Mail to work with unions and posties to deliver a service that people expect, and this includes maintaining the principle of one price to send a letter anywhere in the UK.'
