The main issue is that the mail centres (MCs) are largely automated. Unless the delivery office (DO) staff manually mark out the 2D bar code that guides the machine on where to sort the mail, it will continue to circulate without reaching its destination.
Another problem, as you mentioned, is that the WF postcode area is very large. The staff at the Pontefract office won’t be familiar with all the street names in the other delivery offices (DOs), and the same is true in reverse. Additionally, with an overtime ban in place and duties often left unfinished, the posties at the DO are under significant pressure and simply do not have the time to implement the suggestions you’ve made or to follow the practices we used in the past. Nowadays, managers require them to account for every minute not spent delivering, which naturally leads posties to take the easiest route available. This is the reality of a privatized public service.
In this situation, your best option is to contact Royal Mail through their official channels and explain the issue to them. They might be able to send a message to the relevant delivery offices. If Royal Mail were more proactive and customer-oriented, they would have a system in place to alert posties and sorting machines, allowing them to reroute the mail effectively. Unfortunately, they do not.