Royal Mail post delays in Oxfordshire “unacceptable” say MPs

A third of first-class deliveries in OX postcodes were late last year according to the Royal Mail’s new figures, which is far below their targets.

Oxfordshire’s Lib Dem MPs are urging for staffing issues to be dealt with and say that OFCOM should step in to hold the service accountable.

Royal Mail said they take the concerns “seriously” and are actively recruiting more staff on the delivery teams.

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Olly Glover, MP for Didcot and Wantage, said: “It is unacceptable that post is delayed so often, causing all sorts of problems.

“Missed hospital appointments, delayed medical test results, legal documents arriving late are some of the more serious examples raised with me.

“It is also incredibly frustrating when birthday cards and personal letters arrive weeks after they were sent. 

“A resident in Didcot told me he was only receiving post once a week, but that has recently fallen to once a month.

“Incredibly, he has resorted to going to collect the post from the sorting office, where there is regularly an undelivered pile there for him.

“When raising these cases with Royal Mail last year I was told staff shortages was the reason for the delays, but six months later I am still getting contacted by people in the Didcot, Harwell and Wallingford areas complaining about ongoing issues with delayed post.”

(Image: Oxfordshire Lib Dems) In a joint statement, Calum Miller, Olly Glover, Layla Moran, Charlie Maynard and Freddie van Mierlo said the missed targets were “shocking” and “leaving countless people in the lurch”.

They said: “This has been going on for far too long and people are understandably fed up of it.

“Postal workers are working hard to keep pace in an understaffed service – this isn’t fair on them, or the individuals and businesses across Oxfordshire who need a well-staffed, reliable postal service they can trust.

“It is time OFCOM stepped in to act on these unacceptable delays and hold this service accountable for letting people down across country”

Only 67.9 per cent of first-class deliveries in OX postcodes were delivered on time over the past year, despite the Royal Mail’s new target being 95 percent.

(Image: PA) A Royal Mail spokesperson said: “Across the UK, the vast majority of First Class letters arrive the next working day, with 92.3 per cent delivered within two days.

“However, we recognise that performance in some areas has fallen short, and we’re working hard to improve service levels.

“We’re sorry to hear about the issues reported in Oxfordshire and take these concerns seriously.

“We know how important timely and reliable deliveries are, especially when it comes to urgent mail.

“We are actively recruiting to strengthen our delivery teams and encourage any residents experiencing problems to contact us directly so we can investigate.”