Royal Mail welcomes Ofcom review of postal services

Ofcom have published a report that sets out evidence that suggests the universal service needs to change to better align with the needs of consumers and to ensure it can continue to be affordable and sustainable in the future.

• Ofcom calls for national debate on future of UK’s postal service, as letter volumes halve since 2011

• Options for reform include changing letter delivery speed or days, as other countries have done, but not downgrading delivery targets

• Second Class stamps will remain affordable option as price cap continues

Royal Mail has argued that Ofcom’s report demonstrates that reform is urgently needed to protect the future of the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service. They argue that it is not sustainable to maintain a network built for 20 billion letters when it is only delivering seven billion.