Royal Mail delays: Ofcom’s 2025–26 rule changes

Postal workers have told the BBC they’re sometimes instructed to move or hide undelivered letters so that a round looks complete - a practice they call “take the mail for a ride”. Royal Mail rejects any suggestion this is policy, but MPs will put questions directly to senior executives today, Tuesday 24 March 2026, alongside evidence from Ofcom and the Communication Workers’ Union. The Business and Trade Committee confirmed the session for 24 March after mounting complaints about late and bunched deliveries. (cwu.org)

Let’s get clear on the rules you pay for. The UK’s Universal Service Obligation (USO) says first class letters must be delivered six days a week at a uniform price. In July 2025, Ofcom kept that six‑day duty for first class but changed second class so it can be delivered on alternate weekdays (Monday to Friday). This was meant to protect a national service while reflecting how we use post today. (ofcom.org.uk)

Targets matter because they shape behaviour. Ofcom also reset quality-of-service goals: from 2026 the ‘tail‑of‑mail’ backstop requires 99% of first class items within three working days and 99% of second class within five; headline “on‑time” targets were adjusted to 90% next‑day for first class and 95% within three working days for second class. Those changes aimed to prioritise reliability over speed promises that few people now need daily. (ofcom.org.uk)

So how is performance going? Ofcom found Royal Mail delivered 77% of first class and 92.5% of second class items on time in 2024/25 - both below the previous targets of 93% and 98.5%. The regulator fined the company £21m for that year, after earlier penalties of £10.5m for 2023/24 and £5.6m for 2022/23, bringing recent fines to roughly £37m. (theguardian.com)

Royal Mail’s position to Parliament is that there is no “parcels‑first” policy and that most letters do arrive on time. In a recent letter to the Committee, the company said 92.1% of letters so far in 2025/26 were delivered by their due day and that pilots of the new delivery model lifted the share of addresses receiving post each day from 91.9% to 96.9%. That’s the company’s own data and is now part of MPs’ evidence base. (committees.parliament.uk)

But many postal workers describe a different day‑to‑day reality: rounds that can’t be finished, letters left until tomorrow, and pressure to clear parcels first because they take up space and are tracked. When managers say “take the mail for a ride”, staff told the BBC it means loading letters to make the frame look clear, driving them around, then returning them to the office. Royal Mail says any such conduct would be investigated and is not how operations should work.

Why these allegations sting is simple: trust. Parliament’s own update this month highlighted what it called “service failures” and said 219 million letters had arrived late this year - a figure that’s driving today’s scrutiny. For teachers and students following along, this is a live case study of regulation meeting the real world. (parliament.uk)

A quick explainer we can all use. Ofcom sets the USO and service targets; it can investigate and fine when performance falls short. The law also matters: intentionally delaying post without a reasonable excuse is a criminal offence under the Postal Services Act 2000. That doesn’t mean every delay is illegal - staffing gaps, weather and safety can be valid reasons - but it does show why “hide the mail” claims are serious. (legislation.gov.uk)

What this means for you at home: first class should still come Monday to Saturday; second class now arrives on alternate weekdays and still aims for delivery within three working days. If important letters aren’t arriving, ask the sender for a digital copy as a back‑up (NHS app, bank portal, university email), then raise a complaint with Royal Mail. If you hit a deadlock, you can take it to the independent postal redress scheme. (ofcom.org.uk)

What to watch in today’s hearing. Look for clear answers on staffing and vans, how “rounds cleared” is measured versus letters actually delivered, and how Royal Mail will meet Ofcom’s new backstop from April 2026. Also watch for commitments on publishing local performance, because public services we all rely on - appointments, benefits, ballots - need letters we can count on, not just targets that look tidy on paper. (committees.parliament.uk)