We welcome Royal Mail’s £500m investment over five years, which is an important step towards stabilising the post-COVID postal market. However, it is the biggest in a generation and will significantly change how around 80,000 posties deliver letters.

A key change is to Second Class letter deliveries, which will move from six days a week to an alternating weekday schedule (Monday-Friday). This reflects lower volumes and aims to improve efficiency.

First Class will continue to be delivered six days a week, Monday-Saturday. More details, including delivery schedules, can be found here.

Following the April Communication Workers Union (CWU) agreement, rollout begins this month and will be phased across around 1,200 delivery offices, with completion targeted before Christmas.

The PPA is working closely with Royal Mail on operational communications around the rollout. Members have asked for clear, local updates by postcode and delivery office to help manage customers’ expectations, reduce disruption, and maintain subscriber confidence.

Royal Mail will also send a leaflet to every UK household in June explaining the changes in simple terms.

Ofcom’s new rules place greater focus on reliability of delivery, with targets for Royal Mail including:

• 90% First Class next working day
• 95% Second Class within three days
• 99% First Class within three days
• 99% Second Class within five days           

The PPA supports the direction of travel but stresses that delivery must match ambition. Reliability and trust are key.

We, alongside other major letter mail users, have called for Ofcom to pause on above-inflation price rises until performance consistently meets these targets.

Download Royal Mail’s Quality of Service Plan here.

For more information, please email the PPA’s Membership Manager, david.bostock@ppa.co.uk