Cllr Murray talks to BBC H&W after Royal Mail Post delays
Liberal Democrat Councillor Sarah Murray has warned that postal delays across Worcester are continuing, despite assurances that backlogs had been cleared.
Speaking to Elliot Webb on BBC Hereford & Worcester on 16th February, Cllr Murray said she is still receiving complaints from residents about post arriving sporadically — sometimes in large bundles after days without deliveries.
“I’m hearing that post is still arriving sporadically,” she said. “I’ve had a resident contact me just this week who receives RNIB mail for blind people, and it’s only arriving every few days. It’s being delayed and then turning up in massive bundles once a week or so.”
Cllr Murray explained that senior managers from Royal Mail had previously assured councillors that delivery backlogs had been resolved.
“They assured us that the backlog had been cleared by the time we met,” she said. “However, what I’m hearing since then is that that definitely is not the case. I’m not sure who’s misleading who, but I do aim to get to the bottom of it.”
She confirmed that another meeting with Royal Mail is scheduled in the coming weeks and that she is now gathering evidence directly from residents to present to managers.
“I’m asking residents to send me their postcode or photographs of barcodes on unstamped mail, which I can then share with managers who were sure everything’s fine — to prove that it’s not fine.”
Cllr Murray highlighted concerns that certain types of mail are being deprioritised, including important correspondence such as NHS letters and R&I B mail.
“I’m hearing from within the sorting office that parcels are being prioritised, along with first-class stamped and tracked mail,” she said. “Anything else — and that can include R&I B letters and NHS letters which aren’t stamped — are not prioritised. And this is where it’s all falling apart for people.”
She also questioned whether temporary staffing changes over Christmas may have masked deeper structural issues.
“They hinted that over Christmas service may have improved — perhaps because more staff were brought in to deal with the extra volume of cards and parcels. But that doesn’t appear to have lasted.”
With first-class postage now costing £1.70 for a standard letter and £3.15 for a large letter, Cllr Murray said residents are right to expect reliable service.
“It’s fair to expect that when you pay that, your post will be delivered on time.”
Cllr Murray and Worcester MP Tom Collins will present the collected evidence at the next meeting with Royal Mail management.
She urged listeners to come forward:
“Managers asked for actual evidence. It doesn’t have to be a full address or named — just a postcode or a photograph of a barcode. All of those things will help me provide evidence and push for answers.”
Cllr Murray reaffirmed her commitment to securing transparency and accountability.
“I don’t know which way around it is — whether managers are being misled or whether they’re misleading others. But there is misleading happening somewhere. Residents deserve honesty and a postal service they can rely on.”
If you have concerns about your postal deliveries contact Sarah @ sarahmurraylibdem@gmail.com or complete our form HERE
Hear Sarah on Elliot Webbs show HERE and scroll to 1:26:21
