South London residents feel ‘forgotten’ after Royal Mail delays

Anthony, a Carshalton resident, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he and his wife had to collect urgent post from the sorting office after not receiving mail for over a week.

“They’re only dropping off parcels,” he said, quoting a Royal Mail driver who claimed staff were told “not to bother with letters right now”.

Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver first-class mail within one working day.

Last year, the company failed to meet delivery targets in all London postcodes, and Liberal Democrat MP Bobby Dean said there did not appear to have been any signs of improvement.

Dean, who represents Carshalton and Wallington, described the situation as “completely unacceptable” and said it was clear “Royal Mail is in disarray”.

“When I contacted Royal Mail for an explanation, they simply said that they had ‘operational issues’. That’s not good enough,” he said.

“Previous fines have clearly done nothing to change the company’s behaviour. Communities across the UK depend on this service, and there is now an urgent need for greater transparency and accountability.”