Royal Mail shelves October price hike following OFCOM access dispute: what you need to know

Inside the Dispute: Why Royal Mail shelved the October rate hike

Several Mailing Houses had pushed back against another Royal Mail price rise and taken their concerns to OFCOM, and an investigation had been opened under case reference CW/01356/09/26. This led Royal Mail to concede its position in early October, shelving its new structure proposal and instead putting forward a revised proposal.

This is Royal Mail's second proposed price rise this year. The first increase, which came in January, already frustrated many. Speculation is growing over whether this will be challenged, but many suspect the price change will be approved.

The Mail Competition Forum, representing 17 mail access customers, led the charge in challenging the increase. OFCOM hasn't named the companies involved, but it has cancelled the original proposed price increase.

Postal Services Act 2011: How the Industry triggered an OFCOM price freeze

Under Schedule 3, Paragraph 13, the Postal Services Act 2011 gives any one or more access mail users the right to raise a dispute with OFCOM for resolution if they believe the terms of the Act have been breached in any way under Universal Service Provider Access (USPA) conditions 3.1A and 3.1B. This freezes any proposed changes until the dispute is resolved and negotiations conclude, or, as in this case, one party withdraws from the appeals process.

The Road to Withdrawal: Key Dates in the 2026 Access Mail Battle

July 2026: Royal Mail sent out Contract Change Notice 129 (CCN 129), letting access customers and mailing houses know about a major price restructure planned for October 5, 2026. Some prices were set to jump by as much as 36% for certain business letters, and 11% to 12% for advertising mail.

August 12th 2026: The Mail Competition Forum (MCF), speaking for 17 access mail customers, officially raised a dispute with OFCOM, asking if the proposed increases were fair or reasonable.

September 4th 2026: OFCOM opened an investigation and accepted the dispute under case reference CW/01356/09/26, saying it was concerned about the proposed increases, especially after the January rise.

October 5th: OFCOM dispute status moves to closed as Royal Mail proposes a new structure in an effort to move negotiations along rather than prolong and delay under CCN129, the withdrawal quickly followed by an amended Contract Change Notice.