Postal services in the United Kingdom are provided predominantly by the Royal Mail (which delivers letters) and Post Office Ltd (which oversees post offices). Since 2006, the market has been fully opened to competition which has thrived in business-to-business delivery, but not in ordinary letter delivery.
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The industry is regulated by Ofcom and consumer interests are represented by Consumer Focus. Since 1 October 2011, the main piece of legislation is the Postal Services Act 2011, although some parts of the Postal Services Act 2000 are still in force. The 2011 Act enables the government to privatise Royal Mail and to possibly mutualise Post Office Ltd.
History
The quality of postal services in the 17th and 18th centuries improved with development of better roads and means of transportation.
Anthony Trollope is credited with major contributions to the development of postal services in the years 1851-1867, described, e.g. in Chapters 8 and 13 of his autobiography.