The company proposed cutting deliveries of second-class post down to just three times a week, saying this would save it millions of pounds every year. Bosses said they would maintain a first-class post on Saturday.
Speaking on Thursday, Martin Seidenberg, chief executive of Royal Mail’s parent company International Distribution Services, said: “To save the universal service, we have to change the universal service.”
He said change could “not come soon enough”, adding: “Letter volumes have fallen from their peak of 20bn to just 6.7bn a year today, meaning the average household now receives just four letters per week. We look forward to continuing to engage with all our stakeholders to secure a financially sustainable universal service for many years to come.”
The potential shake-up of the USO comes as Royal Mail gears up for a £3.6bn takeover by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky.
The tycoon, known as the Czech Sphinx, has pledged to continue Saturday deliveries for first-class letters as part of a series of undertakings to help ease concerns over the takeover.
It would mark the first time the postal service has fallen into private ownership in its 508-year history.