ONE of the biggest issues in my inbox at the moment has been the performance of the Royal Mail across the constituency. First and foremost, it is really important to distinguish between our fantastic postmen and postwomen and Royal Mail management. The problems of postal deliveries lie not with our brilliant posties, who are increasingly working under huge pressure with recent changes to working practices. The problem lies with the management of Royal Mail – an issue I raised at a Westminster Hall debate last week. I used Sharon from Hayle’s experience as an example of a constituent who had missed vital hospital information because of late deliveries.

The Royal Mail has become a key part of our national identity. Over the years, our posties have worked tirelessly to deliver for local residents, acting as a friendly face and a trusted part of our local communities. However, the performance of Royal Mail has been unacceptable for far too long and the pace of improvement must increase quickly. Customers, particularly the most vulnerable, are being let down, and delayed letters, such as legal correspondence and hospital appointment letters, are having serious consequences on people’s lives. As the cost of postal services increases, constituents rightly expect reliable and timely delivery. Whilst Royal Mail is an independent business, the Labour Government has been clear that it will not shy away from pressing Royal Mail and its management to improve the quality of its service. In recent weeks, the Minister responsible for postal affairs has had frank discussions with the CEO of Royal Mail on issues raised by MPs, including service delivery, regulatory action and responses to local queries. But the Government is also working closely with Ofcom to ensure Royal Mail management is held to account.

In recent years, Ofcom has taken a range of regulatory action, including fining the business £21-million for failing to meet its First and Second Class delivery targets after it investigated Royal Mail’s quality of service performance for 2024-25. Ofcom has been clear that without significant and sustained improvements, fines are likely to continue and that it will take further regulatory action, where needed, to hold the company to account. They are now investigating Royal Mail’s performance against quality-of-service targets in the last financial year. Meanwhile, the Government is looking into extending the current second-class letter price cap until 2028 to help ensure affordability.

In April, Royal Mail published an improvement plan to address the primary cause of service issues and has committed to investing £500-million to increase its frontline resourcing. The government has also secured legally binding commitments from the new owners for sufficient investment to ensure that the Universal Service Obligations can be delivered. But certainly for us in Cornwall, we are yet to see any of the fruits of that improvement. In fact, the service is deteriorating, rather than improving. And with Christmas looming – the busiest time of the year for our overstretched posties – it’s never been more important to recognise the value of the work they are doing on the frontline.