SMEs in Wiltshire hit hard by late postal deliveries, says MP

A quarter of first class postal deliveries in Swindon and Wiltshire are late, hitting Wiltshire SMEs hard, according to new statistics highlighted by Chippenham MP Sarah Gibson.

The Liberal Democrat politician has highlighted the situation where only 75.2 per cent of letters posted first class are delivered on time in SN postcodes – which covers Swindon, Marlborough, Devizes, Calne, Chippenham, and Malmesbury – while in the BA postcode, which covers Trowbridge, Westbury, Warminster, and Bradford-on-Avon the on-time delivery rate is 74.4 per cent.

Residents in and around Salisbury in the SP postcode areas fare a little better, with posties managing to get letters through letterboxes on time 82.8 per cent of the time.

The missed targets are of particular concern to small and medium-sized enterprises, many of which rely on timely deliveries to maintain customer service standards, meet supplier timelines, and handle vital communications.

Wiltshire business owners have voiced frustration at the delays, citing lost revenue, missed payments, and reputational damage as key concerns. With many companies still recovering from the pandemic and facing rising operating costs, postal reliability remains essential.

“These missed targets are shocking and are leaving countless people in the lurch here in our part of Wiltshire,” said Sarah, whose constituency includes Calne, Corsham, Lyneham and Royal Wootton Bassett.

“People rely on these deliveries and having them arrive on time to go about their lives and should not be forced to put up with this disruption.

“This saga has been going on for far too long and people are rightly sick to the back teeth of it. It is time OFCOM stepped in to act on these unacceptable delays and hold this failing service accountable for letting people down here in Wiltshire.

“I will continue to do everything in my power to pressure Royal Mail into finally turning this around so people in our area can finally get the service they expect and deserve.”

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 are sorry to hear about the concerns raised and take them seriously. We understand how important timely and reliable deliveries are, especially for urgent or time-sensitive items.

“We have been recruiting to strengthen our delivery teams in the area and encourage any residents experiencing problems to contact us directly so we can investigate.”