Price of first class stamps to rise to £1.80

[POSTMAN]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cvgv497gndno

Royal Mail has announced stamp prices are to rise again next month, as the postal service faces criticism for failing to hit delivery targets.

From 7 April, the price of a first class stamp will increase by 10p to £1.80, almost three times the cost of 10 years ago, while a second class stamp will go up by 4p to 91p.

Royal Mail said the move reflected higher delivery costs, as letter volumes decline while the number of addresses increases, but the rise was criticised by Citizens Advice who said price rises should be tied to performance.

Last month, the BBC learned that Royal Mail executives would be called to face MPs over complaints surrounding the company's letter delivery service.

The chair of the Business and Trade Committee, Liam Byrne, had said he was "very concerned" over reports of "significant failures" in Royal Mail's letter service.

Earlier in February, the committee had written to Royal Mail, external asking for commitments to improve what it described as "chaos" in some postal areas since Christmas.

Announcing the latest price increase, Royal Mail's managing director of letters, Richard Travers, 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% fewer letters sent than 20 years ago," he added.

"In the meantime, the number of addresses we deliver to has increased by four million to 32 million addresses across the UK."

Royal Mail was bought by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky's EP Group last April.

Ten years ago, a first class stamp cost 64p while a second class stamp was 55p.

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The jump in stamp prices over the past few years, together with Royal Mail's poor delivery performance, has angered many consumer groups.

Last year, Royal Mail was fined £21m by the regulator Ofcom after it found almost a quarter of first-class post arrived late.

That followed an investigation by Ofcom after Royal Mail missed its targets for both first and second-class post in 2024-25.

Reacting to the latest rise in stamp prices, Anne Pardoe, head of policy at Citizens Advice, said the price of stamps "can't be treated as a dial that is turned up without a clear justification for consumers, forcing people to dig deeper into their pockets for a failing service".

"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," she added.

"Higher prices must come with higher standards - increases should be tied to Royal Mail's performance on the doorstep."

[BenacreNick]

Are they taking the piss ?

[qwerty2]

Are they taking the piss ?

Scumbags - Gonna put card companies out of business