Political opinion with Andrew Griffith MP: Worrying picture of the state of our postal services

Britain’s postal service is becoming a source of growing public frustration. For many people, a delayed birthday card or late magazine may simply be an inconvenience. But for others — particularly elderly residents, vulnerable households and those living in rural parts of West Sussex — unreliable postal deliveries can have serious consequences.

A report by the House of Commons Business and Trade Committee last week painted a worrying picture of the current state of postal services. The Committee concluded bluntly that “Royal Mail’s current level of service is not acceptable” and warned that public confidence had been badly damaged.

I hasten to add this is not the fault of our ‘posties’ themselves, many of whom I have visited or shared a round with since becoming a Member of Parliament.

The scale of the problem is striking. Despite its high cost, between April 2025 and January 2026, only 74.9 per cent of First Class mail arrived the next day — dramatically below the required target.

For rural areas, the implications are especially serious. Many villages and isolated communities still rely heavily on physical post because digital alternatives are patchy or inaccessible. Broadband and mobile coverage remain inconsistent in parts of the countryside, while local bank branches, GP surgeries and public services have increasingly moved online or disappeared altogether. In such places, the post is not merely a convenience — it is an essential public service.

Not everyone uses smartphones or email confidently, and vulnerable individuals can quickly become anxious when expected correspondence fails to arrive. Missing an NHS appointment letter or benefits notification can have profound consequences for someone already struggling with ill health, mobility or isolation.

Ofcom, the regulator, came in for heavy criticism too. MPs concluded that Ofcom was “failing as the statutory regulator of the postal service” and had not delivered the “step change” needed to improve performance.

Our postal services may no longer dominate daily life as they once did, but they remain a lifeline for millions. Reliable post is not an outdated luxury. For rural Britain and vulnerable citizens, it is still a necessity.