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Royal Mail: Performance
18 March 2026
Lead MP
David Reed
Exmouth and Exeter East
Con
Responding Minister
Blair McDougall
Tags
NHSHousingCulture, Media & Sport
Word Count: 13397
Other Contributors: 31
At a Glance
David Reed raised concerns about royal mail: performance in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key Requests to Government:
The MP urges Royal Mail to initiate an honest national conversation with the British public about what they can expect from the service, improve communication regarding missed deliveries, and take proactive measures rather than waiting for criticism in the press or Select Committees. I urge the Government to work with Royal Mail to address these systemic issues, ensure timely delivery of all mail including important medical documents, and engage constructively with local CWU representatives.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
The MP is concerned about the decline in trust in Royal Mail due to missed delivery targets, increased prices, and poor communication with the public. He highlighted that while Royal Mail has made a profit of £14 million last year after previous losses of around £200 million, service quality has suffered. The failure to meet delivery targets for three consecutive years is causing significant frustration among constituents who rely on physical mail for important communications such as NHS appointments and bank statements. I am concerned about the performance of Royal Mail in North Somerset. According to my survey, 87% of respondents reported delays and 53% said that delayed deliveries had caused them to miss appointments and deadlines. One constituent with stage 4 cancer has missed a critical NHS letter due to delivery issues. A property business went nearly two weeks without any deliveries and was told it could not collect its post directly from the sorting office.
Abtisam Mohamed
Lab
Sheffield Central
She acknowledged the dedication of postal workers but noted complaints from constituents about delayed or missing post. Abtisam mentioned missed work papers, legal documents, and hospital appointments. She highlighted a constituent's inability to perform job duties due to unreceived official committee papers and Royal Mail's failure to respond to her emails.
Adam Dance
Lib Dem
Yeovil
He shared several cases where residents missed important documents and appointments due to Royal Mail failures. Adam stressed that poor pay and conditions for staff are contributing factors. He asked the Minister about discussions with Ofcom, assessments of the impact on rural residents' wellbeing, and actions taken by the Department to hold Royal Mail accountable.
Alex Easton
Ind
North Down
The hon. Member references a Gallup meta-analysis indicating that a 10% increase in productivity can result from improved employee wellbeing and urges the Royal Mail chief executive to meet urgently with the Communication Workers Union.
Alex McIntyre
Lab
Gloucester
Residents in Gloucester are experiencing poor postal service, with delays of up to four weeks and piles of letters arriving at once. The issues stem from late post deliveries from sorting offices, prioritisation of parcels over letters, a two-tier workforce system leading to high turnover, and undercutting by companies like Amazon that pay higher wages.
Andy McDonald
Lab
Middlesbrough and Thornaby East
Over the past week, delivery offices in Middlesbrough and Hartlepool have been ranked among the worst for delivery failures. The blame lies with poor management decisions that led to a weakened system, chaotic changes, and a recruitment crisis due to low pay and poor conditions. Asked if privatisation of Royal Mail was a mistake. Asked the Minister about the reduction in terms and conditions for new Royal Mail employees, leading to high turnover rates. Highlighted the issue of 'bogus self-employment' in competing providers, noting it costs £10 billion annually that could be used to improve work security.
Anneliese Dodds
Lab Co-op
Oxford East
In Oxford East, there have been reliability issues with Royal Mail deliveries. Engaging directly with posties and residents helped implement improvements. However, unfair competition from delivery companies undermines the postal service.
Brian Leishman
Lab
Alloa and Grangemouth
He argued for the nationalisation of Royal Mail, stating that public ownership would address the decline in service provision, resource cuts, prioritisation issues, and poor working conditions. He criticised the managed decline of a national institution by private capital.
Carla Lockhart
DUP
Upper Bann
The hon. Member commends the debate's importance and notes persistent delays and staffing shortages in her constituency, stressing that people are missing crucial appointments and essential mail.
Charlie Maynard
Lib Dem
Witney
Royal Mail faces challenges with high turnover rates, harsh work practices, and missed delivery targets. Ofcom fined Royal Mail £21 million for poor service. Urges the Government to make it clear that Royal Mail must improve its services.
Chris Webb
Lab
Blackpool South
I am concerned about the prioritisation of parcels over letters by Royal Mail posties in Blackpool South. This can result in missed medical appointments and important notifications for residents, which no other courier can compete with. We must ensure that Royal Mail delivers its national service and agrees to an urgent pathway to equalising workers' terms and conditions.
Gregory Campbell
DUP
East Londonderry
The hon. Member notes that the timelines for Royal Mail's performance have not been met and highlights a significant increase in stamp costs, which he believes is contributing to a decline in community trust.
Harriett Baldwin
Con
West Worcestershire
Baldwin highlighted the significant increase in casework related to Royal Mail's performance issues following Ofcom's decision to allow changes to the universal service obligation. She questioned how Ofcom justifies its decision and what commitments were secured from them regarding their powers over Royal Mail. Baldwin also raised concerns about staffing cuts, delivery revisions, and operational changes contributing to poor performance.
Ian Byrne
Lab
Liverpool West Derby
He intervened to point out that the blame for Royal Mail's problems starts from 2013 when it was privatised, agreeing with the need to take it back into public ownership.
Ian Lavery
Lab
Blyth and Ashington
The Blyth and Ashington sorting offices have been outstanding, but there are serious allegations that management is receiving bonuses for not adhering to the universal service obligation. There are issues ranging from election irregularities to medical appointments being cancelled due to poor postal services.
Jim Shannon
DUP
Strangford
He highlighted the breakdown of postal services in Northern Ireland, citing issues such as delayed cancer screening invitations and small businesses having to apologise for late deliveries. He mentioned a specific case involving a child with diabetes who missed out on more than a month's worth of personal independence payments due to Royal Mail delays. Shannon asked the Minister to investigate a case where a young diabetic's benefit application was delayed due to postal service issues.
Joe Morris
Lab
Hexham
In Hexham, I have witnessed the impact of Royal Mail's management neglecting rural communities. A constituent recently collected 15 items of undelivered mail including a cancer test result two months late. There is a lack of accountability at Royal Mail and they need to recognise the scale of problems in my constituency. My constituent's legal documents sent via recorded delivery have been lost despite numerous attempts to resolve the issue.
Jonathan Brash
Lab
Hartlepool
My constituents in Hartlepool report letters arriving late or not at all. The issue is not with the posties but with the system that prioritises profit over service. Royal Mail's failure affects people's financial stability, healthcare appointments, and important deadlines.
Josh Babarinde
Lib Dem
Eastbourne
Vital medical appointments are missed in Eastbourne due to late deliveries. The problem is a toxic culture at the top where staff feel unable to take annual leave or return to backlogged work, pushing posties to breaking point.
Leigh Ingham
Lab
Stafford
Raised issues related to two-tier contracts within Royal Mail, noting that new employees are on poorer terms and conditions, which contributes to an increase in mail backlog.
Luke Taylor
Lib Dem
Sutton and Cheam
He cited historical postal service standards in London and compared them to today's reduced delivery frequency. He presented a small-scale experiment showing that only about 65% of first-class mail arrived the next day, failing Royal Mail's target significantly. He questioned the Government on their assessment of postal delays' impact on local elections and asked for actions to remove shackles on local delivery offices. Taylor requested details on reassurances given by the Government regarding local delivery offices, particularly for timely delivery of postal votes, including whether additional resources will be provided for overtime or staff to meet deadlines.
Margaret Mullane
Lab
Dagenham and Rainham
She expressed concern about the decline of Royal Mail since 2022, highlighting issues like reduced pay and worsening conditions that have led to a significant loss of staff. Margaret highlighted the importance of posties during the pandemic but noted their current struggle due to management decisions, such as freezing overtime.
Michelle Welsh
Lab
Sherwood Forest
The postal service in Clipstone has been unreliable for over five months, with chronic understaffing and a 50% turnover rate among new staff since 2022. Royal Mail used to provide secure jobs but now faces erosion of terms and conditions.
Peter Fortune
Con
Bromley and Biggin Hill
Discussed the impact of delayed mail deliveries on constituents' lives, highlighting issues such as missed NHS appointments due to late delivery of appointment letters. Criticised Royal Mail for not providing timely service despite being in a well-connected area.
Peter Prinsley
Lab
Bury St Edmunds and Stowmarket
There is a crisis in the postal service, with issues ranging from managerial failures to resource shortages leading to high staff turnover. The debate on public ownership of Royal Mail should be seriously considered. Prinsley intervened briefly, suggesting that improvements would take time.
Rachael Maskell
Lab Co-op
York Central
The privatisation of Royal Mail led to a two-tier workforce with wages below the real living wage and unaffordable stamps. Posties face unachievable workloads, leading to 27,000 staff leaving since 2022.
Salford
Royal Mail faces systemic issues such as resource crises due to low pay and insecure conditions for new entrants, a toxic managerial culture, and regulatory imbalance where companies like Amazon benefit from national infrastructure without contributing. The proposal for a USO network fund needs advancement.
Richard Baker
Lab
Glenrothes and Mid Fife
Emphasised the significant delays in mail delivery during Christmas and attributed these delays to understaffing of delivery offices. Highlighted concerns about two-tier contracts impacting workforce recruitment and retention.
Richard Burgon
Lab
Leeds East
The hon. Member expresses sympathy for those affected by Royal Mail's failures and highlights that postal workers in his constituency are hardworking but face a toxic culture at the top of the organisation, necessitating collaboration with the Communication Workers Union and Government.
Robbie Moore
Con
Keighley and Ilkley
There are significant delivery delays in Keighley, affecting pensioners and individuals undergoing chemotherapy. Royal Mail's website promises faster deliveries than what is internally expected, leading to a discrepancy between public information and internal operations. Pointed out an inconsistency between Royal Mail's website claim of Saturday delivery for second-class mail and actual service, asking the Minister to address this issue.
Tom Collins
Lab
Worcester
Many people in Worcester are frustrated by Royal Mail delays, impacting healthcare and access to money. The issue is larger than just Worcester and requires meaningful discussions with truthful dialogue.
Tom Morrison
Lib Dem
Cheadle
Described incidents where letters to local residents took longer than expected while parcels were prioritised, leading to missed hospital appointments and delayed mail delivery. Highlighted concerns about Royal Mail's neglect of letter deliveries in areas with older populations.
Government Response
Blair McDougall
Government Response
The Minister addressed concerns about Royal Mail's service failures, including missed hospital appointments and legal hearings. He confirmed that Ofcom will not hesitate to act where failures continue, as evidenced by last year's £21 million fine. The Government remains committed to the universal postal service and is engaged with EP Group and the CWU to ensure operational changes translate into better services for customers. Meetings are scheduled with the Secretary of State, Minister for Building Safety, Fire and Democracy, and Royal Mail on postal votes and ongoing negotiations with unions.
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