I DON'T BLOODY BELIEVE IT!!!

Price rise for stamps!  I looked at the feature and wondered if these were Penny Blacks for sale...apparently not, please read on - taken from a snippet on MSN.

First class stamps will cost 60p from April 30

First and second class stamp prices are to increase by 14p from next month to record highs of 60p and 50p, the Royal Mail has announced.

Prices will rise from the current 46p and 36p from April 30, while the cost of posting large letters will increase from 75p to 90p for first class and 58p to 69p for second class.

The increases followed a decision by regulator Ofcom to give Royal Mail the freedom to set its own prices.
Royal Mail said that even after the increases, second class stamps will still be the cheapest in Europe while first class will be around average.

The Royal Mail also announced that millions of people on low incomes will be able to buy up to 36 stamps for Christmas at the current price. Around five million people on pension credit and employment and support allowance or incapacity benefit will be eligible for the Christmas scheme, offering them the chance to buy up to three books of 12 stamps at 2011 prices.

The new prices, showing increases of 30% for first class and 39% for second class, follow a huge reduction in the number of letters posted - down from 84 million a day six years ago to 59 million.

Royal Mail chief executive Moya Greene said: "We know how hard it is for households and businesses when our economy is as tough as it is now. No one likes to raise prices in the current economic climate but, regretfully, we have no option. Royal Mail provides one of the highest quality postal services in Europe for amongst the lowest prices for both consumers and business. That service is under threat from declining volume, e-substitution and ever increasing competition. Because of these pressures Royal Mail has lost £1 billion over the last four years; the sustainability of the service is now at risk. Price increases are needed to return the universal service to sustainability."

A Department for Business spokesman said: "Price rises are never welcome. However ministers are clear that the top priority is to protect the universal service on which people rely. Indeed we have enshrined in law the six day a week, one price goes anywhere service and given Ofcom as the regulator the duty of protecting that service. But this service comes at a cost, and its provider, Royal Mail, needs to be financially viable. The most important thing is to secure the universal service, but price rises are only one part of the story, the successful modernisation of Royal Mail is also crucial."

Ofcom said that, subject to the safeguards it is putting in place, Royal Mail will make decisions on the price of stamps, not the regulator, adding that it had put a cap on the price of second-class stamps for standard letters to protect vulnerable consumers. Over the next seven years, this will ensure that Royal Mail can price second-class stamps no higher than 55p. The cap will be indexed in line with inflation.

Billy Hayes, general secretary of the Communication Workers Union, said: "Today's announcement from Ofcom is the natural progression towards full competition and privatisation of postal services where customers pay more and efficiencies are sought in the interests of profit not services. It's an announcement for business not consumers, with vulnerable and low-income consumers protected by second-class service price constraint. Second class tells you all you need to know."

Facebook are asking people to post their comments as to what they can do with 60p - Linda and I have a number of suggestions.

1.   We can send one to each member of the family for their birthday, anniversaries, christenings, weddings,    valentine day, Easter and not forgetting Christmas of course (the perfect gift)
2.   For 33p a day you can get 500 minutes and unlimited texts and a free smartphone (click banner below)
3.   For 10p a day you can get super-fast, high quality, no set-up charge, no minimum term, no contract, 40Gb data allowance broadband (click banner below)
4.   For the price of a stamp per day (60p) you can get a mobile phone, sim card which gives you unlimited minutes and unlimited texts (again see banner below - all the above include business and residential customers)

What you can't do is 0844 to any Government department and the Post Office Customer Service is also an 0844 number so it is unlikely that you will be able to find your lost letter (I know as I've had to chase 5 letters, 1 parcel and 1 package in the last 6 months, none of which they can find - even with tracking numbers) - that said, the Post Office do a good job 90% of the time, but 90% isn't good enough really is it?

Most people do use email and even some official documents are deemed signed via email, it's easier, it's quicker, some people are stuck in doors and find the internet a great friend...one concern I do have, the letters and packages are decreasing so they put up the price of postage, so that must mean that the postmen and women, and those who work amazingly at the sorting offices, will be getting a wage rise...would that be right do you think?  Nahhhhh, why would they when they have their shareholders to keep happy!?