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The Leader recently reported on the story of one man who has only been receiving his post ‘once or twice a week’.
That led to Frank Swinnerton, from Garden Village, having a near miss with a ‘crucial’ hospital appointment.
But, the issue has been a wide-spread one across the whole of the Wrexham area with MP Andrew Ranger calling it ‘unacceptable’, having received several complaints from constituents.
Now, North Wales Member of the Senedd Carolyn Thomas MS has had her say, adding that the decision to summon Royal Mail executives before Parliament over letter delays must mark a turning point for a postal service she says has been “wrecked” by privatisation.
Ms Thomas, who worked as a postal worker before being elected to the Senedd, has repeatedly raised concerns in the Senedd after being contacted by constituents across Wales reporting persistent delays and missing post – including vital NHS correspondence.
She said that residents have told her they have missed hospital appointments, consultations, and treatment because letters have arrived too late, warning that postal failures are now having serious consequences for people’s health.
She added: “Royal Mail being called to Parliament to answer for their failures is a step in the right direction. 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.”
Ms Thomas said that postal workers themselves have been raising concerns about management priorities shifting away from letters, with more profitable parcels being prioritised.
She added: “Royal Mail workers have spoken out about letters pilling up in depots while pressure is placed on staff to prioritise parcels. That tells us exactly what has changed – profit has been put before public service.”
Trade unions and frontline staff have increasingly warned that workloads, staffing levels, and delivery expectations have become unsustainable, contributing to delays and damaging morale within the workforce.
Royal Mail was privatised by the UK Government in 2013 and subsequently taken over by Czech billionaire Daniel Kretinsky’s EP Group in 2025.
Ms Thomas added: “As someone who worked in the Royal Mail, it is heartbreaking to see what has happened to the service that our communities are so reliant upon. Privatisation has brought with it increased prices, a worsening service, and overworked, demoralised staff.
“This cannot be a case of Royal Mail offering apologies and excuses and then carrying on as before. The UK Government fundamentally needs to confront the reality that privatisation has been a disastrous failure.
“Royal Mail should never have been sold, and we should now be having a serious conversation about returning it to public ownership so it can once again operate in the public interest.”
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Plaid Cymru Councillor Marc Jones has also raised concerns about the issue, having had people in his Grosvenor ward contact him about it.
Cllr Jones said: “On Friday I met with Royal Mail managers in Wales and raised these concerns – which are specific to the Wrexham Sorting Office.
“Staff locally have also raised concerns with me about parcels being prioritised by management over letters as it pays more. They also talk of a shortage of workers to deliver post and there’s a clear feeling that Royal Mail management are allowing the postal service to wither on the vine.
“So to build up a body of evidence beyond what I’ve already received, I’m interested to hear about your experiences of missing important letters due to delays. The privatised Royal Mail isn’t delivering for people or staff it seems.”
Cllr Jones added that the postal delays may partially explain some of the 27,000 missed appointments at the Maelor hospital over the past year: “A Freedom of Information request to the health board revealed 27,000 missed appointments last year at the Maelor.
“Many were down to patients not attending but how many of those were because they missed the letter? Residents in my ward have waited six weeks for a letter that’s arrived after the appointment and, in some cases, gone to the back of the waiting list as a result.”
In response to the concerns raised, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Attending the Business and Trade Committee will give us the opportunity to discuss the work we are doing to transform Royal Mail and the urgent need to implement changes to the Universal Service to deliver the services our customers want and ensure we are financially sustainable for the long term.”
Have Royal Mail issues impacted you? Have your say in the comments.
