Royal Mail will be allowed to scrap Saturday deliveries for second-class post and switch to an alternate weekday service instead from later this month, regulator Ofcom has announced.
The regulator said that from July 28, Royal Mail will be able to axe the six-day-a-week service for second-class letters, but will maintain Monday to Saturday deliveries for first-class post.
It said it would keep the target for second-class letters to arrive within three working days despite changing deliveries to every other weekday.
The changes come after a lengthy consultation and will help Royal Mail cut costs by between £250 million and £425 million a year, according to Ofcom.
Royal Mail is not expected to push through the overhaul to all second-class letter deliveries across the UK from this month, but will look to roll it out having already launched pilots in 37 of its 1,200 delivery offices.
The industry watchdog said reform of the so-called universal service was needed to help it “survive”, as people send far fewer letters and as the cost of stamps has been soaring.
Ofcom said it had also launched a review of the price of stamps amid concerns over affordability, with a consultation set for next year.
We're reforming the UK's postal service so it delivers what people need:
— Ofcom (@Ofcom) July 10, 2025
✅ First Class still next-day Mon-Sat
📆 Second Class: every other weekday
🛑 New delivery targets to cut long delays
💷 2nd class stamp price cap remains
🔗 https://t.co/QBIaH4uHzj pic.twitter.com/JO3RN45GXN
It added that targets would be lowered for first-class post to be delivered the next day from 93% to 90% and second-class to be delivered within three days from 98.5% to 95% .
But Ofcom said it was adding a new “enforceable” backstop delivery target, so that 99% of mail has to be delivered no more than two days late.
Natalie Black, Ofcom’s group director for networks and communications, said: “These changes are in the best interests of consumers and businesses, as urgent reform of the postal service is necessary to give it the best chance of survival.
“But changing Royal Mail’s obligations alone won’t guarantee a better service – the company now has to play its part and implement this effectively.
“We’ll be making sure Royal Mail is clear with its customers about what’s happening, and passes the benefits of these changes on to them.”
Martin Seidenberg, group chief executive of Royal Mail parent firm International Distribution Services (IDS), welcomed the move from Ofcom, having long urged the Government for reform of the universal service.
He said: “It is good news for customers across the UK as it supports the delivery of a reliable, efficient and financially sustainable universal service.”
Royal Mail made a loss of £348 million in 2023-24, even though the cost of a first class stamp now stands at £1.70 after big hikes in recent years.
But the changes also follow recent hefty fines against Royal Mail for poor performance, with an investigation launched in May after it only delivered just over three-quarters of first-class post on time last year.
Ofcom had already fined Royal Mail a combined £16 million for missing its post delivery targets in the previous two years.
Citizens Advice said Ofcom had “missed an opportunity” for more significant changes to the postal service, while the Liberal Democrats said Royal Mail had been let “off the hook”.
Tom MacInnes, director of policy at Citizens Advice, said: “Royal Mail has a woeful track record of failing to meet delivery targets, all the while ramping up postage costs.
“Today, Ofcom missed a major opportunity to bring about meaningful change.”
Liberal Democrats business spokeswoman Sarah Olney added: “This is a deeply worrying decision that could leave countless people who rely on these deliveries in the lurch.”
“Ofcom needs to think again and not let Royal Mail off the hook at the expense of people who expect the bare minimum of their post arriving on time,” she said.
The Government said it was “right” for Ofcom to look at postal reforms.
“We now need Royal Mail to work with unions and posties to deliver a service that people expect, and this includes maintaining the principle of one price to send a letter anywhere in the UK,” a government spokesperson added.
The overhaul follows the recent £3.6 billion takeover of Royal Mail owner IDS by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group, which completed in June after being cleared by the Government at the end of 2024.
Mr Kretinsky – named as the new chairman of Royal Mail after the deal – has pledged to stick to the Universal Service Obligation (USO) after the takeover.
