Cost of first and second class stamps to rise
Cost of first and second class stamps to rise
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By inthenews. |  |
Tuesday, 22, Dec 2009 03:21
By Richard James.
The price of first and second class stamps is to rise by 2p from April, the Royal Mail has announced.
The cost of a first class stamp will become 41p, the first time it has ever passed 40p, while a second class version will cost 32p.
The changes will come into effect from April 6th 2010.
The increases are expected to affect around 12 per cent of the mail sent in the UK, although mail sent by small businesses will not change, remaining at 36p and 25p for standard letters.
The Royal Mail said the new prices reflected the continuing losses made by the company in collecting and delivering stamped mail - around £250 million in 2008/09.
Alex Smith, Royal Mail's commercial and strategy director, said: "Stamp prices remain affordable and represent excellent value for money - Royal Mail continues to offer consumers a more extensive, to-the-door, six-days-a-week service than many European countries and does so at a lower price than most other operators.
"Small businesses who depend on Royal Mail's services to fulfil their customers' orders and to grow their businesses will be helped by our decision to hold prices for ordinary meter and account mail at today's levels."
The news comes after the worst national postal strikes for two years with further strikes expected next month.
Members of the Communications Workers Union staged a series of devastating strikes around the country last month causing massive backlogs in post.
Union chiefs continually accused business secretary Peter Mandelson of intervening in the negotiations with Royal Mail bosses as millions were affected by the reduced mail service.