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| A UK Postbox |
It has been announced that the price of a
first-class postage stamp here in the UK will rise on the 30th April 2012 to
60p, from its current 46p (a 30% rise). A second-class stamp will also go up,
from 36p to 50p (a 39% increase). All
other classes of mail will follow suit and suffer an hike in price as well.
The regulator has lifted the restrictions on
prices and has allowed the Royal Mail to set its own prices. Apparently the
future of the service was at “severe risk” without the relaxing of the
controls.
Over the next seven years, the price of
second-class stamps will be capped at 55p but this limit could rise with
inflation each year.
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| Postman Pat will be utterly dismayed |
However persons receiving Pension Credit and
Employment and Support Allowance, or Incapacity Benefit will still be able to
purchase 36 stamps at Christmas to send greetings cards at the same prices as
last year. If they have more than 36 friends they’ll have to stump up the same
as the rest of us.
"We know how hard it is
for households and businesses when our economy is as tough as it is now. No-one
likes to raise prices in the current economic climate but, regretfully, we have
no option," said Moya Greene, chief executive of Royal Mail.
She went on to say: "Royal Mail provides one
of the highest quality postal services in Europe for among the lowest prices
for both consumers and business."
So is this another forerunner of the total
privatisation of the Royal Mail? - Quite likely!
Will these price rises be reflected with a
30%+ rise in the efficiency of the service? - Highly unlikely!
Can I hear the Royal Mail's death
knell beginning to toll!
We have all been waiting for a valid reason to abandon the ritual of Christmas card purchase/posting etc.
ReplyDeleteThis is it ....... bye bye domestic post