More first class letters meeting `next day targets'

The number of first class letters delivered the next day has improved to more than nine out of 10, but postal group Consignia is still not meeting targets set by the industry’s regulator, new figures showed today.

In the quarter to June, 91.3% of first class mail arrived the day after posting, a “significant” improvement on the same period last year, when the figure was 86.5%.

But postal regulator Postcomm has set a target of 92.5% to be achieved by March 2003.

Consignia said 98.9% of second class letters arrived within three working days during the same period, ahead of the target of 98.5%.

Jerry Cope, Consignia’s group managing director for mail services, said: “We are pleased that Royal Mail is consistently delivering more than 90% of first class letters next day, which wasn’t the case a year ago.

“However we accept that we need to do a lot more to improve services for our customers, in particular some business services, too many of which are still not arriving on time.”

The best performing mail centres were in Tonbridge (Kent) where 97% of first class letters arrived at their UK destination the next day.

Other good performing areas were Dumfries (96.4%), Cambridge (96.1%), Aberdeen (95.3%), North Wales (95.2%), Bolton (95.1%) and Swansea and Bradford (both 95%).

The worst performing area was Southend (81.2%).

Consumer group Postwatch said the figures showed that at least 390 million first class letters would not arrive the next day in a year.

Standards had fallen for a number of postal products over the past year, it was claimed.

“It is time for the regulator to take a stronger stance to ensure that Royal Mail increases its level of service to customers,” said chairman Peter Carr.