Postal delays rack up complaints for MP

Postal delays are seeing people in part of a country get news of vital hospital appointments late and other post arriving a fortnight after it was posted, an MP says.

Over six months, Mike Wood, the MP for Kingswinford and South Staffordshire, said he received 24 complaints about the issue in Kingswinford.

"We know the Universal Service Obligation that Royal Mail has is far more difficult to deliver [as] it has to do right across the country but it's not fulfilling that obligation," he said.

A Royal Mail spokesperson attributed the delays to staffing shortages at their Kingswinford sorting office and added they were made worse by the recent Storm Goretti.

"We're seeing first-class post that's taking weeks to arrive, instead of the 24 hours that you're led to believe when you buy the stamp," Wood added.

"We've got plenty of stories of post being delivered with a week or more's post all arriving at the same time - and in elastic bands."

The MP said he had written to Royal Mail about what he described as a worsening issue.

"This seems to have been getting worse over the last six months but this has been an [ongoing] problem," he said.

"We first became aware of it in spring 2024. Things got a bit better but since last September, it seems to be a mess."

The spokesperson for Royal Mail said the recent stormy weather combined with the increased use of the postal service over Christmas had affected its deliveries.

"We'll be engaging with local representatives to support the operation and ensure all routes receive a regular and reliable service, while we continue to monitor performance closely," they added.

Wood said he had also received an invitation to visit the local sorting office.

"I'll also go out on a delivery round with them so we'll keep up the pressure," he said.

"We need to get the clearest possible picture of what's happening across the region."

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