Royal Mail Could Potentially Cut Deliveries To Just 3 Days A Week, Says Ofcom

Regulators Ofcom have proposed a future where Royal Mail could potentially cut deliveries to just 3 days a week.

Ofcom said the one “primary options” to help save the loss making postal provider would include letters being delivered to households and businesses five or three times a week.

The move could save the company between £100m and £650m.

The postal service is “getting out of date and will become unsustainable if we don’t take action”, said Ofcom’s chief executive Melanie Dawes.

Royal Mail, who lost £419m the last financial year, has an obligation to deliver letters six days a week to all 32 million addresses in the UK for the price of a stamp, no matter where the letters are going.

While parcel deliveries have become more popular and more profitable, the number of letters being posted has plummeted by about half compared to 2011 levels.

Despite this the official spokesperson for Rishi Sunak said the PM’s “strong view is that Saturday deliveries provide flexibility” and “would not countenance” seeing Saturday deliveries scrapped.