• July 26, 2021

Royal Mail plans to stop Saturday mail deliveries and signed-for parcels in major service shake-up

LONDON July 26: Royal Mail is planning to stop Saturday letter deliveries and signed-for parcels under a major shake-up of services.

Any decision to scrap Saturday letter deliveries and signed-for parcels would need changes to the law. Royal Mail is currently required to deliver letters for a fixed price, six days per week, under a universal service obligation (USO).

The review comes as it seeks to modernise and push through big cost savings by changing its ‘whole product offering’, reports Devon Live.

Simon Thompson, the postal service’s new UK boss, is looking at the changes as part of a six-month review to focus on parcels industry.

With letter volumes in decline, bosses argue this requirement is outdated and leaves Royal Mail at a disadvantage versus rivals such as DHL and Amazon.

Ofcom, the communications regulator, has already backed the proposal to scrap Saturday letter deliveries in principle. The regulator said the decision on changing the USO was ultimately up to MPs.