Postal services in the United Kingdom

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Postal services in the United Kingdom are provided predominantly by the Royal Mail (which delivers letters) and Post Office Ltd (which oversees post offices). The main piece of legislation is the Postal Services Act 2000, which creates the industry regulator, PostComm, and a consumer watchdog, PostWatch.

Since 2008, the market has been fully opened to competition which has thrived in business to business delivery, but not in ordinary letter delivery.

Contents 1 History 2 Law 3 Industry 4 See also

[edit] History

• Postmaster General of the United Kingdom, position created in 1510
• Royal Mail, est. 1516 by King Henry VIII
• Post Office (United Kingdom), the General Post Office, est. 1660 by King Charles II
• Rowland Hill (postal reformer), creator of the penny post, 1844

• Post Office Ltd, separated from the Royal Mail as a new business in 1986

• Green Paper on Postal Reform (1994) published setting out the options for privatisation and regulation of the Post Office and Royal Mail.

[edit] Law

• Directive 97/67/EC OJ 1998, L 15
• Postal Services Act 2000

[edit] Industry

[edit] See also

• Public service law in the United Kingdom
• Telecommunications in the United Kingdom
• Broadcasting in the United Kingdom
• Energy policy of the United Kingdom