Royal Mail is set to move delivery times to later in the day in a bid to offer a bigger parcel service, according to reports in The Daily Telegraph.
Under new plans 17 areas across the UK could see their post delivered at 6pm at the earliest, including parts of London, Cornwall, Cumbria, and Wales. While in Scotland, households in Perth and Kinross could be waiting until 7:30pm.
The reports suggest around 100 other areas could be waiting until 5pm or later for parcels to be delivered, with letter delivery also effected.
A Royal Mail spokesperson confirmed to The Daily Telegraph that while letters are delivered by 4pm at the latest now, this could be pushed back until 5pm.
“We are in discussion with the Communication Workers Union about moving start times later to meet the growing customer demand for more next day parcel deliveries, and to reduce our environmental impact by moving more mail by rail over time” a spokesperson said.
“We have made it clear that these proposals are all subject to negotiation and detailed design, and no plans have been finalised.”
In May, Ofcom launched an investigation into Royal Mail’s failure to meet delivery targets in 2021-22. It has also been reported that the postal company is looking to scrap its Saturday service as part of wider cost saving measures.
