Related Articles
In his letter, Michael Jones spoke about “the growing frustration among residents who report that mail is frequently not being delivered, arriving extremely late, or missing entirely” in Crawley.
Cllr Jones explained that the situation had forced Crawley Borough Council to use other companies to deliver letters, leaflets and documents to residents, a decision made “with considerable regret”.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said: “We know how important it is that customers receive their mail on time, particularly when it includes items such as medical or other important correspondence.
“Recent UK-wide figures show 92 per cent of letters arrive on time, but we recognise performance is not yet where it needs to be in all areas.
“Where there are local issues, these are typically due to temporary resourcing pressures. In these cases we work quickly to restore a consistent and reliable service.”
Despite these claims, Royal Mail was fined £21 million in October 2025 after an Ofcom investigation found that it had missed its targets for both first and second-class post in 2024/25. Almost one-quarter of first-class post arrived late.
At the time, Citizens Advice said the postal service’s track record was “woeful”.
Cllr Jones said colleagues who had visited the local sorting centre had received anecdotal reports of “significant issues affecting performance”.
He added: “A reliable postal service is essential for residents, businesses, public services, and democratic engagement.
“The current level of performance in Crawley is unacceptable, and national evidence confirms this is part of a wider pattern of regulatory concern and declining service quality.”
Crawley was not included in a recent service update which recorded delays in 62 postcodes across the country – prompting Cllr Jones to wonder whether such updates were complete.
The Royal Mail spokesman said: “The service update page reflects wider or ongoing disruption across an area, and more localised or short-term issues would not be listed.”
