Residents can now nominate a neighbour to receive their parcels so they never miss a delivery, Royal Mail announced yesterday. The move could reduce the number of ‘red cards’ which land on doormats to tell householders a package has been returned to the delivery office. Postmen already attempt to deliver parcels to people’s neighbours if they are out. But the new service means they can now deliver to a specific friend who lives nearby, in the recipient’s absence. Residents can now nominate a neighbour to receive their parcels so they never miss a delivery, Royal Mail announced yesterday (file picture) It means people can choose a neighbour who they know well, or who is often in during the day, to sign for a parcel or receive a delivery which will not fit through the letter box. The price of first and second class stamps rose by a penny each yesterday. A first class stamp now costs 63p while second class is 54p – more than double what it was ten years ago. Sending a large letter has gone up by 2p to 95p for first class and by 1p to 74p for second class. Royal Mail, which was privatised in 2013, said it had ‘thought carefully about the impact on customers’ because of ‘recent tough economic conditions’. However critics fear the increase will hit small businesses which depend on the postal service. The price rise is 1.6 per cent for a first class stamp, and 1.9 per cent for second class. John Allan, of the Federation of Small Businesses, said: ‘If you’re a business that relies heavily on the postal service, increases in prices won’t be welcomed. ‘Businesses affected will have to decide whether to absorb it or pass it on to their customers.’ Royal Mail said the ‘Nominate a Neighbour’ scheme would be more convenient for householders and ‘improve first-time delivery’. Sue Whalley, of Royal Mail, said: ‘This new initiative is great news for our customers as it offers further choice and convenience if there is no one at home. ‘For our postmen and women it means that they are even more likely to deliver parcels and letters first time rather than having to take items back to the office. First-time delivery of parcels and signed-for items is high in Royal Mail and in the trial delivery offices this improved further.’ Since 2012 Royal Mail has left parcels with neighbours if the recipient is not in. But critics feared this meant valuable packages could be left with untrustworthy or unfamiliar neighbours. Now customers can nominate a preferred neighbour by visiting their local delivery office, filling out a short form and presenting proof of their identity. Postmen will try to deliver to this neighbour in the first instance, before trying other addresses nearby. It is unclear if using the nominate service, however, will mean that households are now responsible if their parcel then goes missing. Under the old system, when postmen knocked on several neighbours’ doors, Royal Mail was still responsible if the parcel later went astray. Special delivery items and international parcels requiring a signature are excluded from the scheme.
Postmen can now deliver to a specific friends who lives nearby to recipient . Move could see the number of parcels returned to delivery offices fall . Royal Mail said the scheme would be more convenient for householders .