MPs said that Royal Mail has been prioritising parcel deliveries over letters and called on Ofcom to investigate. In response, Ofcom said that Royal Mail’s recent performance was “clearly well short of where it should be” and said it would consider the MPs’ report.

Royal Mail said it had clear policies that parcels and letters “should be treated with equal importance”. Royal Mail must, by law, deliver letters to all parts of the UK, six days per week, as part of its Universal Service Obligation. If it fails to do this, it can be fined by communications regulator Ofcom.

There was widespread evidence that Royal Mail “systemically failed to deliver” on this obligation, telling postal workers to make sure they delivered parcels before letters, MPs on the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee said.

MPs referred the matter to Ofcom, calling on it to open an enforcement investigation, talk to postal workers, and report back to the committee. The Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy committee said that:

“We recognise the importance of the Universal Service Obligation in delivering a vital public service, and we hope that Royal Mail seizes the commercial opportunities available to it in accessing every household across the country on six days of the week. We call on the Government to formally engage with Royal Mail, following the outcome of Ofcom’s enforcement investigation, to secure the future of the Universal Service Obligation and Royal Mail, and to provide an initial report to this Committee no later than the end of 2024.”

The PPA: With many PPA member businesses sending out subscription copies via letter post, these Royal Mail missed targets have serious implications. We will be monitoring the situation as Ofcom investigates further. You can find more information here and here.