Angela met with representatives from Royal Mail to discuss the issues that have been raised by residents across the constituency with regards to delays in receiving post.
Angela was contacted by people who said they had missed medical appointments due to letters arriving after the date of their appointment and others who had faced enforcement action due to not receiving letters informing them of fines.
Neighbouring MP Jonathan Reynolds was present at the virtual meeting as his constituents have also been affected by these issues.
After raising their concerns, Angela and Jonathan were told by the Royal Mail representatives present that they accept the issues raised and were sorry to hear how residents had been affected.
They said they usually see a lull in mail volumes in January following the Christmas rush but had seen a higher than expected amount this year. An increased use of economy services for mass mailouts was also highlighted as a reason for delays.
David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy, assured the MPs that the data showed an improvement in the situation in February. He explained that Royal Mail are able to collect stats on a street by street level so that any problems can be identified and addressed as swiftly as possible.
Many of the people who have contacted Angela said they believed post men and women are told to prioritise parcels over letters but this was denied at the meeting. Mr Gold said health and safety regulations mean that packages have to be shifted as quickly as possible so there is not a backlog at the sorting office but they are not given priority over letters.
Angela said: “I would like to thank the representatives from Royal Mail who listened to the concerns of myself and Jonathan Reynolds. Our constituencies are both served by Hyde sorting office following the closure of the Ashton office in December 2023 and it seems residents across both constituencies are experiencing very similar problems and delays with letters arriving.
“It’s good to know that Royal Mail collect data in such detail and they have agreed to share that with us so we can continue to monitor the situation.
“They are also recruiting additional staff and I hope this will go a large way to resolving the issues that are raised with me on a daily basis.
“The Universal Service Obligation requires Royal Mail to provide a basic postal service to everyone in the UK, no matter where they live, at an affordable and uniform price that is set out in the Postal Services Act 2011 and regulated by Ofcom.
“It is not unreasonable for residents to expect letters to be delivered to their homes in a timely fashion.
“I will continue to hold Royal Mail to account on this issue and I would be grateful if my constituents can keep sharing information with me if they feel they are not receiving letters on time. Details can be emailed to angela.rayner.mp@parliament.uk.”