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I am not sure why I still use the term postbag, as pretty much everything pings into my emails nowadays, and a physical letter is now a rarity.
That does not, however, mean that we should take the mail service for granted, and over the last few weeks, I have had a great deal of correspondence, exclusively email, about two related but quite separate subjects.
Firstly, the reliability of mail deliveries and the universal service obligation.
Some constituents tell me their mail deliveries are only arriving about twice a week, and for those reliant on the postal service for their business, that is very bad news.
I have highlighted this to Royal Mail and asked what they can do to make sure the service is reliable and uniform across the whole constituency.
Secondly, many readers may not be aware that there is currently a consultation running on the future of the Post Office.
I know how lucky we are in this area to have some fabulous sub-postmasters and mistresses, and how in some of the villages, the Post Office is absolutely integral to the community.
But the Post Office is looking to reduce some of the services, including the outreach service, which has been a lifeline to villages which had previously lost their Post Office.
The consultation can be found online at gov.uk/government/consultations/green-paper-future-of-post-office/green-paper-future-of-post-office, or people can still respond via pen and paper to the Department of Business and Trade, Old Admiralty Building, Admiralty Place, London SW1A 2DY.
The deadline is midnight on 6th October, so it’s coming up fast.
On a different note, housing issues have been a recurring theme of casework over the last few months.
The Government still needs to get a grip on estate management companies, who appear happy to take money off residents but not actually deliver the services paid for.
There are a number of specific companies causing headaches for residents locally and nationally, and when Parliament returns after the Conference Recess, I will be pursuing that, alongside Hampshire colleagues, relentlessly.
Caroline Nokes
MP for Romsey and Southampton North
