Royal Mail has been hit with a whopping £5.6 million fine for failing to meet its delivery targets, it has been confirmed.
It comes following the completion of an Ofcom enforcement investigation.
The industry regulator was asked to investigate the country’s national postal service after it was referred by the Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee – which is a cross-parliamentary committee made up of MPs nationwide – back in March for a suspected breach of the universal service obligation (USO) requiring the company to deliver letters six days a week.
The committee said Royal Mail had “systematically failed” in its duty to deliver letters, and claimed to find the company had prioritised more lucrative parcels instead.
🚨 We have fined Royal Mail £5.6m for failing to meet its 2022/23 delivery targets by a significant and unexplained margin.
Delays caused considerable harm to customers, and we found insufficient steps were taken to prevent this failure.
Royal Mail is required to deliver 93% of first class mail within one working day, and 98.5% of second class items within three working days, while its target for completion of delivery routes is 99.9%.
ADVERTISEMENT
But following the investigation, Ofcom said that, for the 2022-23 financial year, the postal service’s reported performance results showed that it had only delivered 73.7% of first-class mail on time, and just 90.7% of second-class mail.
On top of this, the investigation found that only 89.35% of delivery routes were completed for each day on which a delivery was required.
ADVERTISEMENT
Ofcom said today’s fine of £5.6 million should serve as “a wake up call” for the company, and it must “take its responsibilities more seriously”, rather than relying on shifting the blame for its failures on to the aftermath of the pandemic and the several days of strike action by the Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) several strikes in 2022.
Royal Mail has been fined £5.6m for failing to meet delivery targets / Credit: Royal Mail
Ian Strawhorne, who is the Director of Enforcement of Ofcom, said in a statement today: “Royal Mail’s role in our lives carries huge responsibility and we know from our research that customers value reliability and consistency.
“Clearly, the pandemic had a significant impact on Royal Mail’s operations in previous years. But we warned the company it could no longer use that as an excuse, and it just hasn’t got things back on track since.
ADVERTISEMENT
“The company’s let consumers down, and today’s fine should act as a wake-up call – it must take its responsibilities more seriously.
“We’ll continue to hold Royal Mail to account to make sure it improves service levels.”
The committee’s inquiry took place amid a turbulent time for the Royal Mail when 112,000 of its staff -who were members of Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) – staged “the biggest strike of the summer” and several other subsequent walk-outs last year in a still-ongoing dispute over pay and the company’s modernisation plans.
The fine has been issued following an Ofcom investigation / Credit: Royal Mail
Addressing the issuing of the fine this morning, a Royal Mail spokesperson described the last year as “uniquely challenging” for the postal service, before going on to cite the strike action as being a reason for quality of service being impacted.
“We are very disappointed with our Quality of Service performance in 2022-23, and acknowledge Ofcom’s decision today,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
ADVERTISEMENT
“Last year was uniquely challenging for Royal Mail. Quality of service was materially impacted by the long-running industrial dispute which included 18 days of strike action. We are pleased that Ofcom has acknowledged that elements outside of Royal Mail’s control had a significant impact on service levels and has adjusted the figures to 82% for first class and 95.5% for second class mail.
“We take our commitment to delivering a high level of service seriously and are taking action to introduce measures to restore quality of service to the level our customers expect.”
Featured Image – Royal Mail
News
Charli XCX announces massive Manchester arena gig as part of long-awaited UK and European tour
Emily Sergeant
Charli XCX has finally given UK fans the news they’ve been waiting for.
After the genre-bending popstar announced back in June a series of US gigs this autumn to support and celebrate the release of her eighth studio albumMusic, Fashion, Film – which was met with critical acclaim following its release in late July – fans in her home country were wondering when she would announce UK dates to accompany these.
The 34-year-old been had hinting at a UK and European leg of the Music, Fashion, Film Tour on social media over the past couple of months, but nothing was set in stone as of yet.
Then last night, Charli took to Twitter to announce that she ‘finally’ had some information coming today (11 September), and then followed it up with a teaser video – sending fans into a frenzy.
And now, it has been announced this morning that Charli XCX will be taking to the Co-op Live stage early next year.
Support on the UK and European leg of the Music, Fashion, Film Tour will come from US popstar Audrey Hobert.
Hobert has been having somewhat of a star-making year herself in 2026 following the release of her own critically acclaimed debut album, Who’s The Clown?, last year – with her streams racking up daily and drawing in massive crowds on the festival circuit this summer.
Charli XCX – Music, Fashion, Film Tour UK & EU Dates 2027
13 February – 3Arena, Dublin
15 February – OVO Hydro, Glasgow
17 February – Co-op Live, Manchester
19 February – The O2, London
22 February – Ziggo Dome, Amsterdam
24 February – Accor Arena, Paris
Upon release back in July, Music, Fashion, Film the album received acclaim from music critics, who praised its lyrical honesty and experimental production, as Charli took a sonic journey away from the undeniable mega hit that was her 2024 album BRAT, and into ‘Rock Music’ territory.
Music, Fashion, Film topped the charts in the UK and Australia, as well as in Belgium, Hungary, and New Zealand, while reaching the top 10 in countless other countries – including the US.
Charli XCX will be bringing the Music, Fashion, Film Tour to Manchester‘s Co-op Live on Wednesday 17 February 2027, and tickets will go on sale next week.
Featured Image – Henry Redcliffe (Publicity Picture)
News
Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 opening date announced – including new spots
Emily Sergeant
Manchester Christmas Markets are merely months away, and the opening date and important details for 2026’s return have been announced.
It’s official… holidays are coming, and the countdown is on.
Just as we do every year, the Greater Manchester public has been eagerly awaiting news of when the city’s iconic Christmas Markets would be making a comeback for the 2026 festive season. And now, Manchester City Council has announced – initially via the MEN – that the famous wooden huts will be lining the city’s streets once again from the first week in November.
Now in their 27th year, Manchester Christmas Markets are known and loved for bring thousands of people into the city centre each year to fill up on the fantastic festive treats and to soak up all the Christmas atmosphere.
This year will see a bigger return of Albert Square, after the headline-grabbing partial return at last year’s event, with the big wheel also set to make a comeback.
The Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 return date has officially been confirmed / Credit: The Manc Group | Flickr
And there’s also set to be some new locations too for 2026, with Lincoln Square joining in on the action this year.
There will also be big changes to St Ann’s Square this year, according to the Council, with what is being described as a ‘brand new layout’ bringing in a bigger number of market stalls.
There will be a total of 210 stalls spread out across the city centre.
There’s officially eight weeks to go until the iconic wooden huts line the streets / Credit: Manchester City Council
Promising to be plenty on offer for seasonal shoppers of all ages, it has been confirmed that 2026 will see the iconic wooden ski chalet market stalls take over Albert Square, Lincoln Square, King Street, St Ann’s Square, Exchange Street, New Cathedral Street, Exchange Square, Corn Exchange, Cathedral Gardens, and Market Street.
Of course, everyone’s favourite big red legend, Zippy Santa, will also be back this year, although his location has not been set in stone just yet, so stay tuned.
“There’s nowhere that does Christmas quite like Manchester,” commented Councillor Pat Karney, who is the Christmas spokesperson for Manchester City Council.
“The return of Christmas festivities last year to Albert Square was a triumph and we’re looking to build on this success with a fantastic festive offer there again this year that is sure to be a hit with everyone who visits.
“Our legendary Christmas markets draw thousands upon thousands of visitors every year from right around the world and this year’s markets look set to be the very best yet, with a brand-new location in Lincoln Square just around the corner from Albert Square, and a brand-new look and even more stalls in St Ann’s Square.”
He concluded: “Christmas in Manchester will be absolutely magical this year and we can’t wait to welcome everyone and celebrate the festive season with them.”
Manchester Christmas Markets 2026 will officially open across the city on Friday 6 November and close on Tuesday 22 December – with the exception of Albert Square and Cathedral Gardens, which will remain open right through until Sunday 3 January.
Emily Sergeant -
13th November 2023 
