May 7 local elections under threat with voting crisis feared | Politics | News

A growing crisis in the Royal Mail threatens to throw May’s local elections into chaos, with postal votes and election leaflets delivered late or not at all. Ministers and the Electoral Commission are holding a series of emergency meetings with Royal Mail managers, following warnings that delays risk undermining faith in the electoral system.

There is also concern that poor service has led to people missing hospital appointments, and even struggling to buy groceries when bank cards go missing in the post. Watchdog Ofcom issued a £21 million fine for poor service last year, and Ministers are warning the Royal Mail that it could face even heavier penalties in 2026 unless it improves.

It follows warnings earlier this month that nearly 220million letters will be delivered late by Royal Mail this year, including 126 million first class letters despite the price of a stamp rising to £1.80.

In May 2025 elections, 1.6 million people voted by post – more than one in three of all votes cast.

Business Minister Blair McDougall has met Royal Mail chief executive Alistair Cochrane to warn of “anger and concern” about the state of the postal service, while Local Government Minister Samantha Dixon is to hold further meetings with Royal Mail bosses to discuss postal voting specifically.

Mr McDougall said: “We have sought strong reassurances from Royal Mail on that issue. There have been meetings with the chief executive of the Electoral Commission to discuss plans for the upcoming elections, and a similar meeting is taking place in Scotland with Ministers there.”

A number of MPs have raised concerns in Parliament. Former Labour chair Ian Lavery said 73 voters in his Northumberland constituency had received their postal votes after a recent election was over.

Liberal Democrat MP Luke Taylor said: “The Minister has only to look across the Atlantic for recent experience of the undermining of faith in the electoral system when there is a lack of confidence that ballots will arrive on time and be counted.”

Failure to deliver letters on time is hurting the public in other ways too, according to MPs. Tory Robbie Moore said: “One pensioner, for example, waited more than two weeks for a new bank card to arrive. In that time, she could not access her pension and do the basics of her weekly food shop.

“Another constituent waited 10 days for a hospital letter to arrive. He is undergoing chemotherapy, so ended up missing a vital appointment.”

A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “We are fully prepared for the May elections. Election mail is subject to additional safeguards to ensure it reaches voters on time, and we are confident delays will not impact the delivery of postal votes.

“We have a dedicated elections team that plans year-round and works closely with the Government, the Electoral Commission, local authorities and suppliers. During the election period, there is daily operational oversight to ensure all election mail is delivered as expected.”

They added: “Recent quality of service figures show 92% of letters are delivered on time and 99.4% are delivered within seven days which shows prolonged delays are rare. But we recognise there is more to do to deliver a consistently high level of service everywhere.”