Oxfordshire MP says she's received hundreds of complaints over Royal Mail delivery delays

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https://www.itv.com/news/meridian/2026- ... ery-delays

Speaking from the Labour Party Conference, in Liverpool, Anneliese Dodds said Royal Mail management need to be 'getting a grip' on the situation

An Oxfordshire MP says she's received hundreds of complaints from her constituents over delays to their post.

Anneliese Dodds, who represents East Oxford, is one of 30 MPs to sign an open letter to Ofcom over Royal Mail's delivery performance.

The politicians say their inboxes are "full" of messages from constituents who have experienced delays, with some missing NHS letters and vital appointments.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said it takes concerns about postal delays "seriously".

"Postal workers in our areas tell us about the problems at local delivery offices - they know what is going wrong, and what practical solutions would help hard-working staff get the job done," the letter read.

"Yet Royal Mail's senior leadership tells us time and again that there are no problems in our areas.

"Their responses follow such a clear pattern that they seem to show us complete disdain for the concerns of residents.

"This is completely unacceptable."

Dodds told ITV News the issue was "clearly not the fault of local posties", adding: "There's a big systemic issue here.

"We need to see recruitment, retention being sorted out. We need the management of Royal Mail to be getting a grip on this and the regulator."

In August, Royal Mail said it delivered 85% of first-class deliveries the next day and 91.4% of second-class mail within three working days during the first quarter of the year.

Under targets set by Ofcom, 90% of first-class mail should be delivered the next day, and 95% of second-class mail should be delivered within three days.

From April 1, the watchdog lowered previous delivery targets for first-class from 93% and second-class from 98.5% as part of universal service reforms.

But Royal Mail insisted it had seen a marked improvement from a year earlier, when first quarter figures showed just 76% of first-class and 89.3% of second-class post arrived on time.

The group - whose owner International Distribution Services was bought last year by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky - recently pledged to meet the Ofcom delivery targets by May 2027 as part of a plan to invest £500 million in the service over the next five years.

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We take concerns about postal delays seriously and know how important it is that customers receive their mail when expected.

"Our latest published results show that performance in OX is improving. First Class letter deliveries increased from 75.5% on time in Q4 2025/26 to 82.0% in Q1 2026/27.

"We know there is more to do and are investing £500 million over five years to improve reliability for customers.

"We continue to engage with MPs and other stakeholders about the work being undertaken to improve performance."