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Allan Leighton, the chairman of the Royal Mail, raised the stakes in his battle with Postcomm yesterday with plans to increase some delivery charges in defiance of Postcomm’s wishes.

Price rises are being imposed on airmail postcards, letters, printed papers and small packets. The cost of sending parcels weighing more than 350 grammes will also rise. Postcomm has said that it wants to curb prices on airmail and parcels to compensate for allowing the price of first and second class stamps to rise by 1p each. However, the loss-making Royal Mail has complained that any move on those services would cut Pounds 460 million from its sales.

The price increases, ranging from 1 per cent to 5 per cent, are controversial because they come just weeks before final pricing plans for Royal Mail are due to be announced by the regulator.

The postal regulator will not be “bullied” over its plans to limit Royal Mail’s price increases but the mail operator would be able to “live with” its final proposals, Graham Corbett predicted yesterday.

The chairman of Post-comm, whose commissioners will meet today to finalise its plans after three months of consultation, said: “I don’t expect they (Royal Mail) will be delighted but I hope we can come up with something they can live with.”

The regulator’s decision will be made public towards the end of next month following further discussions with Royal Mail, Postwatch and the unions and amendments to Royal Mail’s licence.

The Communication Managers (CMA) section of Amicus representing 14,000 managers and senior managers has today given a cautious welcome to the appointments of Elmar Toime as Deputy Chairman and Adam Crozier as Chief Executive of Royal Mail.

Peter Skyte, National Secretary, said: “We welcome the need for a fresh Royal Mail leadership in facing the financial, commercial and competitive challenges now and in the future, and to avoid the need for more of the workforce ending up on the bench.