Political opinion: When the post turns up late and the meeting never arrives, something’s gone wrong

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.chad.co.uk/news/opinion/pol ... ng-5500924

We all wait for the postman to push an important, or anticipated letter through our front door. But in Mansfield, the wait’s become a guessing game: will it take a week, or maybe two, and will my post eventually be dumped through the letterbox in one go?
That shoddy service has become the norm. I’ve heard from dozens of residents who receive post only once every six days. Others have gone more than two weeks without a single delivery. Post is consistently arriving long after it was intended or needed.

The consequences are serious. People have missed NHS appointments because letters arrived too late. Important correspondence about benefits, housing and legal matters has turned up weeks after it was sent. For older residents and those without reliable internet access, the post isn’t a backup option… it’s quite often the only option.

I wrote to the Chief Executive of Royal Mail in December to raise these concerns formally. I was careful to be fair. I recognised the pressure on postal workers during the winter period and made clear that frontline staff are doing their best under difficult conditions. But I was also clear that what people in Mansfield were experiencing was not good enough.

What happened next did little to restore confidence.

Royal Mail’s response was an offer of a meeting with a regional officer. As of 2nd February, 2026, that meeting still hasn’t happened. If Royal Mail can’t deliver letters on time, it probably shouldn’t surprise anyone that it can’t deliver a meeting either. Residents, and I, expect better than that.

This isn’t just a Mansfield problem.

Citizens Advice research shows that around 16 million people across the UK were affected by postal delays over the Christmas period. Nearly six million missed important letters, including health appointments, benefit decisions and fines.

So while Royal Mail might suggest these are isolated issues, the evidence says otherwise.

Royal Mail has a legal obligation to provide a reliable universal service. It’s a national service trusted with sensitive, time-critical information. When that service breaks down repeatedly, people lose trust, and they have every right to ask why.

Let’s be clear about where responsibility lies. Postal workers are not the problem. Many are covering larger routes with fewer colleagues and dealing with constant pressure. The problem sits higher up, with decisions about staffing, workloads and priorities.

Residents deserve clear answers: why deliveries have become so unreliable, what is being done locally to fix it, and when service levels will actually improve?

If those answers are not forthcoming, I will raise concerns with Ofcom, which oversees Royal Mail’s performance, and ask ministers to intervene. When a national service fails on this scale, it becomes a national issue.

Reliable postal delivery is not an unreasonable demand. People pay for it. They rely on it. And they are entitled to expect it to work. Until it does, I will keep pressing Royal Mail to stop delivering excuses and start delivering the post.

[Barnacle]

Why is it company policy to not deliver letters? Why isn’t the company being reprimanded by OFCOM and the Gov, for not delivering letters?

[Mr Rush]

Why is it company policy to not deliver letters?

The policy is to deliver them... at the company's convenience and not to the specified service the customer paid for and have legal right to expect.

[derekm]

Privatisation is sold on a dream of better service,better prices and everyone falls for it.