Royal Mail delays in South Gloucestershire latest

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https://www.gazetteseries.co.uk/news/26 ... re-latest/

LONG-running postal delays across South Gloucestershire have come under scrutiny amid growing frustration.

A government minister has said Royal Mail’s delivery performance is "not good enough" as late or missing post continues to affect residents in Thornbury and Yate.

This comes after a Thornbury postal worker recently claimed to the Gazette that every office at the service is now understaffed and parcels are being prioritised over ‘unprofitable’ post.

Blair McDougall MP, minister for small business and economic transformation, made the remarks in a letter to Thornbury and Yate MP Claire Young, who raised concerns about persistent postal issues in her constituency.

In the letter, dated Tuesday, May 26, Mr McDougall said: "I am sorry to hear about the persistent delivery issues you describe and the impact this is having on your constituents.

"I recognise the concern that arises when important and time-sensitive post does not arrive as expected, and the cumulative effect this can have where problems are sustained over a prolonged period."

He acknowledged that Royal Mail has failed to meet key delivery targets and said an improvement plan had now been put in place.

Mr McDougall said: "Royal Mail has identified a primary cause of its service issues as the non-completion of delivery routes.

"Its plan sets out the measures and timeframes for improvement so that more routes are completed each day and constituents see fewer delays.

"I hope this, alongside the agreement reached with the CWU, will help contribute to improved quality of service for your constituents."

The minister added that Royal Mail has pledged to invest £500 million to strengthen frontline operations as part of its quality of service improvement plan.

Ofcom, the UK’s postal regulator, has said it continues to monitor Royal Mail’s performance closely and will take regulatory action if standards do not improve.

The minister also encouraged affected residents to formally log complaints with Royal Mail to ensure issues are addressed and compensation is considered where appropriate.

He said further representations would be made to both Royal Mail and Ofcom if service levels in the area did not improve.

Royal Mail customers can file complaints online, by phone at 03457 740 740, or by writing to Freepost, Royal Mail Customer Services.