DELAYS in second class post deliveries by the Royal Mail across West Somerset have been raised with the Government by local MP Rachel Gilmour.
Mrs Gilmour has written to the Minister for the Future of Work, Kate Dearden, to ask what steps the Government was taking to improve postal service performance and to provide relief for those affected.
She said ‘significant delays’ in the delivery of second class post had reportedly seen some residents miss vital and often difficult-to-obtain medical appointments because important correspondence was arriving too late, or not at all.
Mrs Gilmour said Royal Mail had long been regarded as a ‘trusted national institution’ and constituents rightly expected a reliable postal service wherever they lived.
But, experiences being reported to her suggested the standard was not currently being met.
Mrs Gilmour asked the Minister what assessment the Government had made of the impact delayed and undelivered mail was having on residents, particularly in rural constituencies such as West Somerset.
She said the situation reflected a wider concern among people living in rural communities that they paid a disproportionate price for a poorer standard of service because of geography.
In her letter, Mrs Gilmour said her constituents should not be disadvantaged in accessing essential services because their postal service was unreliable.
Mrs Gilmour said: “I want to thank everybody who made me aware of this situation, and I look forward to hearing from the Department on the steps it will take to improve the standard of service for people in rural communities.
“I will continue to listen to my constituents’ concerns and hold the Government to account.
“Rural and coastal communities should not be paying a disproportionate price and in return receiving a lower level of service simply because of where they live.”