Royal Mail invests 500m to tackle late deliveries as second-class post cut back

"Royal Mail will deliver second-class post every other weekday and scrap Saturday deliveries as part of a £500m plan to tackle late deliveries. This change follows a deal with the Communication Workers Union and will be rolled out nationwide in May, aiming to improve service reliability and meet new delivery targets set by Ofcom."

"The group was fined a record £21m by Ofcom last October for missing delivery targets, having delivered only 77% of first-class post and 92.5% of second-class post on time in 2024-25. The new delivery pattern is part of a broader strategy to enhance service quality and customer satisfaction."

"The CWU general secretary, Dave Ward, emphasized the importance of ensuring that postal workers are properly resourced and retained, and that they have a real say in how changes are implemented. He stated that what truly matters is the practical execution of these proposals to reverse customer service failings."

Royal Mail will implement a new delivery pattern for second-class post, delivering every other weekday and scrapping Saturday deliveries. This change follows a deal with the Communication Workers Union and will be rolled out nationwide in May. First-class post and parcel deliveries will remain unchanged. Royal Mail aims to meet new delivery targets set by Ofcom after facing fines for missed targets. The £500m investment includes allowing part-time workers to increase hours, funded by savings from universal service changes.

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