Royal Mail faces potential penalties for failing to meet letter delivery targets once again. The postal company disclosed that only 75.7% of first-class mail reached recipients the following working day, with 96.4% delivered within three days. Second-class deliveries were slightly better, with 90.2% arriving within three working days and 98.2% within five days, still falling short of set benchmarks.
This performance discrepancy has left a considerable number of items arriving late, exacerbated by recent increases in stamp prices. First-class stamps now cost £1.80, up by 10p, marking a significant 181% hike from the 2016 price of 64p. Second-class stamps have also risen by 4p to 91p.
Regulator Ofcom could impose another fine on Royal Mail, following a £21 million penalty for previous target failures. Despite citing a challenging start to the year, Royal Mail reported some improvement by March, achieving 81.1% next-working-day delivery for first-class mail and 90.2% within three days for second-class mail.
Critics, including Tom MacInnes from Citizens Advice, have expressed dissatisfaction with Royal Mail’s recurrent delivery shortcomings. They demand swift improvements, especially considering the recent stamp price hikes. The company’s owner, Daniel Kretinsky, defended Royal Mail’s performance during a parliamentary hearing, acknowledging challenges but refuting claims of worsening service quality.
Royal Mail’s chief operating officer, Jamie Stephenson, outlined ongoing investments to enhance reliability and meet new delivery targets. The company aims to implement a new delivery model nationwide by the Christmas peak season, with early performance indicators suggesting progress in the right direction.
Amanda Fergusson of the Greeting Card Association emphasized the necessity of Royal Mail’s improvement plan to ensure a reliable and affordable postal service. She urged prioritizing service restoration over regulatory reforms for a more effective postal system.
