Communications regulator Ofcom has announced that it will launch an investigation into the Royal Mail for repeatedly missing delivery targets.
Under Ofcom’s rules, Royal Mail is required to meet specific delivery performance targets across the whole financial year, excluding the Christmas period. Among other targets, Royal Mail must:
- Deliver 93% of First Class mail within one working day of collection;
- Deliver 98.5% of Second Class mail within three working days of collection.
In its latest results, published at the end of May, Royal Mail acknowledged that it did not meet the above performance targets in 2024/25, as it:
- Delivered 76.5% of first-class mail within one working day of collection; and
- Delivered 92.2% of second-class mail within three working days of collection.
“We will investigate whether there are reasonable grounds for believing that Royal Mail has failed to comply with its obligations in 2024/25,” Ofcom said,
“If we determine that Royal Mail has failed to comply with its obligations, we will consider whether to impose a financial penalty.”
The Citizens Advice Bureau has welcomed the investigation, noting that repeatedly missing targets has come at a cost for UK citizens.
“For more than half a decade, consumers have been short-changed by our country’s postal service. Royal Mail’s quality of service targets should be there to protect customers, but the company is still getting away with hiking stamp prices while failing to deliver post on time.
“Our research has shown the damaging consequences of late post, like missed health appointments, fines, bills and vital government communications. But with no alternative provider to choose from, people are forced to grapple with poor service, year-on-year.”
In December 2024, Ofcom fined the company £10.5 million for failing to meet its First and Second Class delivery targets in 2023/24; and in November 2023, it was fined £5.6 million for failing to meet its targets in 2022/23.
In April 2025, the sale of Royal Mail’s parent company to a Czech billionaire was cleared by shareholders. Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group is now expected to take over the group in a deal worth a reported £3.6 billion.
Under the terms of the deal, the EP Group will have to maintain the one-price-goes-anywhere Universal Service Obligation (USO), the BBC reports.
This obligation currently means it has to deliver letters six days per week, Monday to Saturday, and parcels Monday to Friday.
The company has committed to maintaining the USO for as long as it owns Royal Mail.
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