Before the reform, British Post had many shortcomings. At that time, postage was collected on a case-by-case basis based on the number of sheets of paper used for the letter and the distance of the delivery distance. The postage standard was very high. Except for a small portion of the mail that was stamped with the "postage paid" stamp on the cover of the mail to collect money from the sender, the recipient was charged after the mail was delivered. At post offices, staff calculating expenses per piece is cumbersome and their work is inefficient. And the British Parliament also approved that members have the privilege of free mail.

In 1837, Roland Hill proposed postal reform measures: abolishing parliamentary privileges and significantly reducing postage; absorbing Charles Babbage's proposal of "the postage will be the same regardless of the distance of delivery" and implementing the "one-penny uniform postage law." Postage is borne by the sender; the post office prints a small label with a face value (i.e. a stamp) that the sender can pre-order at any post office and stick it on the envelope when sending the letter as a voucher of postage. His postal reform measures were discussed and approved by Parliament in August 1839.

On January 10, 1840, Queen Victoria publicly announced that this measure would come into effect immediately. She herself would pay by mail like the people, and the free privilege of MPs was abolished.

Due to Roland Hill's significant contributions to the reform and development of the postal industry throughout his life, he is known as the "Father of Modern Postal Service". In 1850, he was appointed British Postmaster General, and in 1860 he was knighted. In 1879, he was awarded the title of Honorary Citizen of the City of London. He died in London at the age of 85 in the same year.

Roland Hill successfully reformed the postal service.