Cuts to postal service are a reflection of the times

Royal Mail has been struggling for some years with a decline in people posting letters, and cutting back on the second-class service is probably the only way its universal service obligation can be maintained.

The numbers are stark: two decades ago, 20 billion letters were sent each year, the figure is now 6.6 billion. And with little sign of the trend abating, the number is expected to fall to just four billion within the next few years.

No doubt some people will blame privatisation on the company's problems, but the reality is that most of Europe's postal services are facing similar difficulties and, besides, it is hard to envisage the Government investing billions of pounds of taxpayers' money into a shrinking market.

In many ways, the decline of Royal Mail mirrors that of many of the other services that were once a staple of everyday life: banks, post offices, high street shops and even police stations have all disappeared at an alarming rate over the past few decades, usually accompanied with the suggestion that people can access these services online.

But while that may suit some, for many it is just not an option. Not everybody has the internet, let alone access to smartphone apps, and for the elderly in particular, these basic services are a crucial lifeline.

The proposed changes to the rules will remove the obligation to deliver second-class mail at weekends, and a modest drop in performance targets, which will bring them into line with those in other European countries. 

Setting Royal Mail targets it cannot meet, and then hitting it with heavy fines is no way to improve the service, so hopefully these changes will make it more sustainable.

But in return, the least we can expect is for Royal Mail to adhere strictly to these rules. The nation will be watching.