Royal Mail must answer for letter delays, says former postal worker Carolyn Thomas MS

Royal Mail must be held accountable for persistent delivery failures, a former postal worker turned Senedd member has said, as executives are summoned to Parliament to answer questions over delays.

North Wales MS Carolyn Thomas said the decision to call Royal Mail bosses before MPs must mark a “turning point” for a service she believes has been damaged by privatisation.

Thomas, who worked for Royal Mail before entering politics, said she has repeatedly raised concerns in the Senedd after being contacted by constituents across Wales reporting delayed and missing post — including vital NHS correspondence.

Residents have told her they missed hospital appointments, consultations and treatment because letters arrived too late, she said, warning that postal failures are now having serious consequences for people’s health.

“Royal Mail being called to Parliament to answer for their failures is a step in the right direction,” she said. “When I previously raised delivery failures in the Senedd, Royal Mail contacted me asking me to identify a specific branch. That completely misses the point – this is a systemic issue, and people across the length and breadth of Wales are experiencing it.”

Thomas said postal workers themselves had raised concerns about letters piling up in depots while more profitable parcels were prioritised.

“That tells us exactly what has changed – profit has been put before public service,” she said.

Royal Mail was privatised in 2013 and taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group last year. Thomas said the current situation reflects the long-term consequences of privatisation, pointing to increased prices, declining service and overworked staff.

Communities in rural and semi-rural areas, including parts of North Wales, have been particularly affected, she added, where reliable post remains essential for public services, businesses and residents who are digitally excluded.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has also warned that delivery failures are the result of a long-term recruitment crisis. General secretary Dave Ward said low wages and poorer conditions introduced for new starters in 2022 had contributed to staffing shortages and falling morale.

Performance figures

Royal Mail’s latest performance figures show 77.5% of first-class mail was delivered the next working day and 91.6% of second-class post within three working days between late September and November — both below Ofcom’s targets of 93% and 98.5% respectively.

Chief executive Alistair Cochrane said the results showed improvement but acknowledged performance “is still not good enough”.

Royal Mail said it offers industry-leading terms and conditions compared with other delivery firms and argued it must modernise to remain financially sustainable, while engaging with government on employment rights reforms.

Thomas said scrutiny must now lead to meaningful change.

“This cannot be a case of apologies and excuses and then carrying on as before,” she said. “We should now be having a serious conversation about returning Royal Mail to public ownership so it can once again operate in the public interest.”