Ofcom to investigate Royal Mail delivery target failure

Ofcom has opened an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet its delivery targets during the past year.

Under Ofcom rules Royal Mail is required to deliver 93% of First Class mail within one working day of collection, and 98.5% of Second Class mail within three working days of collection.

However, across 2021-22, only 81.8% of First Class mail was delivered within one working day and 95.4% of Second Class mail was delivered within three working days.

In addition, Royal Mail is set a target of completing 99.9% of delivery routes on each day that a delivery is required. However, it completed 94.09% of routes over this period.

Royal Mail is also required to deliver 91.5% of First Class stamped and metered mail products within one working day in 118 postcode areas of the UK – but it didn’t meet this target in any of these postcode areas.

Performance against these targets is measured as an average performance level throughout the year, excluding the Christmas period.

Ofcom stated: “Ofcom takes quality of service very seriously. In our investigation we will gather evidence to understand the reasons behind this lapse in performance, and will determine whether Royal Mail has breached its requirements.”

In response to this announcement, Matthew Upton, Director of Policy of Citizens Advice, said: “While posties have been working tirelessly to deliver our letters and parcels, Royal Mail itself has been letting people down. For two years running we’ve uncovered substantial post delays across the country.

“This is a vital public service, relied on by many for bills and medical letters.

“We welcome Ofcom’s investigation and hope it clamps down on poor service before it becomes the new normal.”