Liberal Democrats turn to Ofcom as local postal services worsen despite Royal Mail assurances

Following months of poor service from Royal Mail and after assurances were received from the Chief Executive’s Office at Royal Mail, the delays to postal deliveries across many part of Stockport have worsened.

Speaking after the Full Council Meeting where he highlighted this issue, Cllr Mark Hunter, Leader of the Council and of the Liberal Democrats at Stockport Town Hall, said: “It is not uncommon for local people to have only one or two deliveries in a single week, with several days nothing at all being delivered followed by – in some cases – a dozen items of mail arriving on a single day. Apart from the obvious irritation and inconvenience of not having a reliable, regular postal delivery, there are real concerns that some people are missing urgent medical appointments – which in many cases they have waited months to obtain – as a result of not receiving their appointment notification in time.

“Clearly, the situation is unacceptable in any circumstances but, as the price of a single first-class postage stamp has just increased to £1.25, it feels very much like Royal Mail are no longer taking their responsibility seriously.  This is not the fault of the hardworking post men and women, who do a difficult job in all weathers, but rather a sign that something is seriously wrong at a management and senior management level.

“I have therefore taken the next step and written to the regulator, Ofcom, drawing their attention to these problems and officially requesting that a formal investigation is carried out into what appears to be a service in chaos.”