Stamp prices increased yesterday (7 April), with first-class stamps going up in price by 5p and second-class stamps by 2p. The latest price hikes mean the cost of a first-class stamp has gone up by 124% over the past five years.
The same period has seen Royal Mail consistently fail to meet its annual delivery targets.
Royal Mail announced the price hikes last month.
According to a study by Citizens Advice, more than two-thirds (68%) of people think first-class stamp price increases are unfair. One in three said they would struggle to afford a book of eight first-class stamps – which now costs £13.60. Around one in six (16%) said they would struggle to afford a single first-class stamp.
Almost a quarter (22%) said they’d struggle to afford a book of eight second-class stamps, now costing almost £7, with 9% saying they would struggle to afford a single second-class stamp.
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The charity’s research shows delivery reliability is still a concern among consumers, as a third (32%) said they’d used a premium product, as opposed to a basic first- or second-class stamp, to make sure an important letter or card arrived on time.
The regulator Ofcom is currently consulting on the Universal Service Obligation (USO) held by Royal Mail, which could see second-class letter deliveries reduced from six days per week to alternate weekdays.
Almost a third (29%) of people said they would like Royal Mail to keep delivering second-class letters six days per week. More than a third (37%) said they could accept the reduction to alternate weekdays, but only if the company meets its delivery targets.
Previous research by Citizens Advice shows that every year, millions of people face post delays. Over Christmas, an estimated 10.7 million people were hit with delays, with 3.4 million of those missing vital letters for health appointments, bills, legal documents and fines.
Post is being made ‘less affordable’
Tom MacInnes, director of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Royal Mail’s unfair price hikes are making post less affordable, and will hit low-income households and older people the hardest. People from these groups are more likely to be digitally excluded and rely on mail.
“These price increases are worsened by the fact people simply can’t rely on their first- or second-class mail being delivered on time – proven by Royal Mail’s failure to meet any annual delivery targets for half a decade.
“Ofcom must act. The regulator is considering slashing deliveries and relaxing targets, but these moves must go hand in hand with a curb on price increases. Otherwise, Royal Mail has no incentive, as a monopoly provider, to deliver the service consumers deserve.”
