UK delivery changes would have an impact on the island
Any changes to postal deliveries in the UK could have a significant impact on local services, Guernsey Post CEO Boley Smillie has warned.
Ofcom has launched a review to modernise Royal Mail, in a bid to make it more efficient and improve its service levels.
The primary options are reducing the number of letter delivery days from six to five, or even to three, as well as accepting that most letters would take up to three days or longer, although a next-day service would still available for urgent letters.
The UK currently has letter deliveries Mondays to Saturdays, and parcels Mondays to Fridays.
Mr Smillie said Guernsey had its own system, with parcel deliveries six days a week and letters five days a week.
‘Our universal service obligation was last reviewed in 2012 at which time we moved from six letter deliveries a week to five,’ he said.
‘At the same time, and based on customer feedback, we increased the number of parcel deliveries to cover six days a week.’
He confirmed that no further changes to the local service were currently under consideration.
‘However if the outcome of Ofcom’s review of the UK USO leads to significant reform to the current service levels in the UK, that could have a substantial impact on our operations which we would need to adapt to,’ he said.
The Ofcom review notes that UK letter volumes have halved in the last 12 years.
Guernsey Post’s most recent annual report, from 2023, noted that 38.5m. items were handled during the year – a decrease of 5.9m. items (13%) on the prior year.
Inward parcel volumes increased by 1%, but inward letters were down 8% and outward mail down 17% on prior year.
Ofcom is inviting views from interested parties on the UK consultation by 3 April.
What’s happening elsewhere with letter deliveries?
Belgium: Reduced from five days a week to two-and-a-half in 2020.
Denmark: Reduced from six to five days in 2016, to one
day in 2018. It scrapped its USO this year.
Italy: Reduced from five days to three in low population areas.
Netherlands: Reduced from six to five days in 2014.
Norway: Reduced from six to five days in 2016 and then to two-and-a-half in 2020.
Sweden: Reduced from five to two-and-a-half days in 2021.
