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The cost of sending a letter both locally and globally is going to rise in the New Year, driven by the high cost of the mail plane among other economic challenges.
As of 1 January 2023, the cost of sending a local letter will increase to 60p, Jersey Post confirmed this morning.
The price of a letter to the UK will rise by 16p from 82p to 98p, whilst the cost of sending a letter to Europe will rise by 65p from £1.20 to £1.85.
The biggest increase is seen in the price of sending a letter outside of Europe, which is rising by 80p from £1.75 to £2.55.
Jersey Post explained that the price changes are a result of the cost pressures they are facing, with the volume of mail being sent declining while operating costs - including transit and fuel - have increased significantly.
This year alone, the company says it has seen a 13% decline in outbound mail volumes - a decline that was steeper than predicted, and is expected to continue in 2023.
From 1 January, the postal charges levied on Jersey Post by Royal Mail and other postal authorities will increase substantially whilst new legislation from the United States and Europe has this year seen the introduction of pre-advice customs data for items - something the service said requires continued investment into new processes, customer systems and facilities.
“Due to the current economic climate, the postal sector as a whole is experiencing a number of challenges, some of which have already been highlighted above. One significant challenge for us in Jersey is the high cost of the mail plane," explained Niall McClure, Managing Director, Postal and Logistics.
"Using the plane allows for next day delivery for certain postal products to and from the UK. However, to operate the mail plane costs approximately £1.23 per item in conveyance charges.
"Historically, we have subsidised the cost of sending mail by air. Where we can, we have tried to minimise the costs next year to the end customer. For one of our most popular routes, the 100g letter to the UK, we are absorbing some of the cost by only charging 98p. In addition, we have held the local 2023 price changes in linewith June’s RPI which was 7.9%. The latest RPI figure as of September is 10.4%.”
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