Mail 3 Days a Week? Idea Meets Resistance in Britain.

THE NEW YORK TIMES: Letter volumes have halved since 2011. Without significant changes, the beleaguered Royal Mail services will become “out of date,” according to a report.

A Royal Mail post box in London. | Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images
Britain’s postal service could consider cutting deliveries to five days a week, or even three, from six, the country’s regulator said on Wednesday, drawing resistance from lawmakers and businesses.

The Royal Mail, like the U.S. Postal Service, has been increasingly plagued by service issues and financial pressures. Given rising costs, the organization risks becoming “financially and operationally unsustainable in the long term,” according to a report by Ofcom, Britain’s communications regulator.

Reducing delivery to just three days a week would save the Royal Mail up to 650 million pounds ($830 million) a year, the report found. Sweden, Norway, Denmark and Belgium have reduced the frequency of delivery or extended delivery times for letters in recent years, Ofcom said.

Lawmakers, however, pushed back on the idea. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, whose Conservatives hold a majority, said on Wednesday that he remained “absolutely committed” to ensuring that the Royal Mail delivered six days a week. The service, which was privatized in 2013, is required by law to deliver mail six days a week, so any change would require a vote in Parliament. » | Jenny Gross, Reporting from London | Thursday, January 25, 2024

Abu Dhabi and Soros Got 'Golden Ticket' in Royal Mail Sale

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sovereign wealth funds and billionaire investors among 16 firms given preferential treatment over small investors in the Royal Mail privatisation

Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, billionaire investor George Soros and activist hedge fund Third Point were among the 16 investors given preferential treament in the controversial Royal Mail privatisation.

The Government on Wednesday released details of these preferred investment firms, who saw their shares jump 38pc rise on the first day of trading, while thousands of small private investors missed out after the Government imposed a cap of £10,000 on them.

Other preferential investors included Lazard Asset Management, the investment arm of the government’s independent adviser on the privatisation, Capital Research, Fidelity Worldwide, GIC, Henderson, JP Morgan, Kuwait Investment Office, Lansdowne Partners, , Och Ziff, Schroders, Standard Life, and Threadneedle.

The Government, which has insisted that Royal Mail was not sold on the cheap, has been under pressure to release the names of "pilot fishing investors".

Ed Miliband, the Labour leader, clashed with David Cameron at Prime Minister's Question Time. He said some of the firms invited to invest in the business were given a "golden ticket" and had made a "fast buck" by selling the shares as their price soared, with some selling on the first day of privatisation. » | Telegraph Staff | Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Royal Mail Refuses to Rule Out £1 First-class Stamp
The price of stamps could continue to rise sharply, with Royal Mail refusing to rule out an eventual £1 charge for a first-class stamp.

Read the article here | James Hall, Consumer Affairs Editor | Tuesday, March 27, 2012