The Royal Mail has announced that from April this year the price of Second Class stamps will increase by 2p (2.4%) to 87p and the price of First Class stamps will be £1.70, an increase of 5p (3%).
Consumer Scotland Head of Post Grace Remmington said:
"Consumers across Scotland deserve access to high quality postal services at affordable prices.
“The price of a first-class stamp has more than doubled over the past five years and these increases continue to make purchasing first class stamps less affordable for many consumers, particularly those on low incomes.
“Consumer Scotland research on affordability has already shown over half of adults in Scotland thought the price of sending letters via the Royal Mail was expensive even before the current increases.
“Consumers in Scotland are also receiving a poorer service than they should expect for first class letters, with Royal Mail performing significantly below delivery service targets.
“Consumer Scotland has engaged with Ofcom and the Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee to raise issues about both standards of delivery and affordability of postal services.
“We will continue to engage with the regulator, industry and other consumer groups to monitor the impact of any price rises on consumers and to provide evidence and recommendations on how the interests of consumers can best be met through the universal postal service.”
Background
Consumer Scotland is the statutory advocacy body for postal consumers in Scotland.
A Consumer Scotland report on the Universal Postal Service found that for communications which were not personal, sending letters to business and public services such as government departments, local authorities and banks remain important for consumers, with 31% of letters sent being identity documents.
The price of a first class stamp has risen from 70p in 2019 to £1.70 from April this year following today’s announcement. Consumer Scotland research found that even before price rises across 2023 and 2024, consumers in Scotland were experiencing challenges in the affordability of postal services.
In December 2024 Ofcom fined Royal Mail £10.5 million for failing to meet its First and Second Class delivery targets in the 2023/2024 financial year.
Consumer Scotland supports the current regulatory safeguard cap on second class stamps which means increases in prices cannot exceed the rate of inflation under the Consumer Price Index.