Estimated 15.7 million people hit by postal delays charity says, as it calls for tougher review into Royal Mail
An estimated 15.7 million people in the UK experienced postal delays last month, according to new research commissioned by the charity, Citizens Advice.
Many of those who experienced delays said they had suffered knock-on impacts, such as missing health appointments, fines or bills.
One woman said at least four of her hospital appointment letters were delayed during a “high risk” pregnancy.
Citizens Advice Chief Executive, Dame Clare Moriarty, described the level of delays as “appalling”.
The charity also called on regulator Ofcom to strengthen its current review of postal services.
Royal Mail said the year 2022/2023 was “one of the most challenging in our history” and said its services had been impacted by strikes and “high levels” of staff absence.
Royal Mail has blamed strikes for the disruption
The survey of more than 4,000 adults surveyed between 25 May and 5 June found nearly one in three (31%) of those questioned – equivalent to be around 15.7 million people if replicated across the UK – said they had experienced a letter delay, while 22% said they had experienced a parcel delay.
Of those who responded, 15% said they had experienced a serious negative consequence, including missing important documents, missing a health appointment, or losing money through fines.
The charity also said that its research showed how people of colour were nearly twice as likely (23%) to experience negative consequences as a result of letter delays compared to white respondents (13%).
Meanwhile, 21% of disabled people experienced negative consequences as a result of letter delays, compared to 13% of non-disabled people, according to the charity.
Winifred, a 24-year-old from Hemel Hempstead, told the charity that during her pregnancy – regarded as “high risk” by doctors – she waited for multiple hospital letters that failed to arrive on time.
“I was so stressed out,” she said.
File pic
Winifred, who now has an eight-week-old baby, added: “Another time, I knew I had an appointment that week, but hadn’t received the letter so I went directly to the hospital to ask when the appointment was.
“They told me it was the next day – if I hadn’t gone to the hospital to ask, I would have missed it.”
The Citizens Advice report comes after MPs recently highlighted evidence that Royal Mail had prioritised parcels over letters and called on Ofcom to investigate this issue across a number of years.
The charity said its research showed it was no longer acceptable for Ofcom to have a business-as-usual approach to its investigation and called on the regulator to launch a multi-year review into mail delays and deprioritisation.
Read more:
Royal Mail could face Ofcom fine for missing performance targets
Royal Mail chief executive Simon Thompson resigns
Dame Clare Moriarty said: “Royal Mail’s delays are still at appalling levels and it’s consumers who are being saddled with the consequences.
“Delayed post’s been an issue for years and the problem is only getting worse. Ofcom must now do a full root-and-branch investigation into mail delays.”
A spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “We’re sorry to any customers who may have been impacted by our performance during a year that has been one of the most challenging in our history, with quality of service materially impacted by the long-running industrial dispute with the CWU and compounded in some areas by high levels of staff absences.
“Improving quality of service is a top priority and an improvement plan is already under way.”
An Ofcom spokesperson said: “We assess Royal Mail’s performance against annual delivery targets and we are investigating its failure to meet delivery targets for 2022/23.
“We take quality of service seriously. If we determine that Royal Mail has failed to comply with its obligations, we may consider whether to impose a financial penalty.”
Birmingham band UB40 say the city’s striking bin workers and their union should “keep fighting” in their dispute over pay.
It comes as the government and the council urged them to accept a “fair and reasonable offer”.
“We’re fully on their side,” drummer Jimmy Brown told Sky News. “I think they shouldn’t give up, they should still be fighting.
“Working people shouldn’t have to take a reduction in their incomes, which is what we’re talking about here.
“We’re talking about people being paid less and it seems to me with prices going up, heating, buying food, inflation and rents going up then people need a decent wage to have a half decent life… keep going boys!”
Members of the Unite union in Birmingham earlier this month. Pic: PA
Workers joined picket lines again on Thursday, with some fearing they could be up to £600 a month worse off if they accept the terms.
“We have total utter support for the bin men and all trade unions,” said guitarist Robin Campbell.
“The other side is always going to say they’ve made a reasonable offer – the point is they’re the ones who’ve messed up, they’re the ones who’ve gone bankrupt, they’re the ones now trying to reduce the bin men’s wages.”
👉 Listen to Sky News Daily on your podcast app 👈
Lead singer Matt Doyle told Sky News: “It’s a shame that what we’re seeing is all the images of rats and rubbish building up, that is going to happen inevitably, but we’ve just got to keep fighting through that.”
About 22,000 tonnes of rubbish accumulated on the city’s streets after a major incident was declared last month by Birmingham City Council.
Rubbish has blighted the city’s streets for weeks . Pic: PA
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Bin situation ‘pains me’ – council boss
On a visit to the city, local government minister Jim McMahon said the union and local authority should continue to meet in “good faith” and the government felt there was a deal that could be “marshalled around”.
He paid tribute to the “hundreds of workers” who have worked “around the clock” to clear the rubbish.
Read more:
Bin workers urged to accept ‘fair’ offer
Military planners help with bin crisis
“As we stand here today, 85% of that accumulated waste has been cleared and the council have a plan in place now to make sure it doesn’t accumulate going forward,” said Mr McMahon.
Sky News understands talks are not set to resume until next week.
Trans women in British Transport Police custody will now be strip searched by male officers – not female – following Wednesday’s Supreme Court ruling.
The force said it is introducing an “interim position” while it digests the Supreme Court’s decision that the definition of a “woman” under the Equality Act 2010 refers to “a biological woman and biological sex”.
A British Transport Police (BTP) Authority spokesman told Sky News: “Under previous policy, we had advised that someone with a gender recognition certificate (GRC) may be searched in accordance with their acquired sex.
“However, as an interim position while we digest today’s judgment, we have advised our officers that any same sex searches in custody are to be undertaken in accordance with the biological birth sex of the detainee.”
Politics latest: Badenoch responds to Jenrick WhatsApp mishap
In September last year, BTP, which is responsible for policing the UK’s railways and similar transport systems, published its “position” on transgender and non-binary officers carrying out strip searches.
It said officers would “only be able to search persons of the same sex on their birth or gender recognition certificate (GRC).
Officers who identified as another gender but who did not have a GRC were not allowed to, but if a trans woman had a certificate, they could strip search a female detainee.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
Gender ruling – How it happened
Strip searches involve the removal of more than a jacket, outer coat, gloves, headwear and footwear.
They “expose buttocks, genitalia and (female) breasts”, the BTP guidance says.
The Sex Matters campaign applied for a judicial review of that guidance with the High Court in December.
It said the policy “puts detainees at risk of sexual harassment and sexual assault”, and said it was a violation of Article 3 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which protects against torture and inhuman or degrading treatment.
Sex Matters said the policy “also puts female officers in a humiliating and dangerous position, as they may be pressured to search trans-identified men”.
Read more: NHS must stop trans people being allowed on single-sex wars
Campaigners celebrated outside the Supreme Court after Wednesday’s ruling. Pic: PA
One of the High Court judges who made Wednesday’s decision, Lord Hodge, said the ruling should not be read as “a triumph of one or more groups in our society at the expense of another”.
Government minister Karin Smyth told Sky News public bodies have been told to look at how equality laws are implemented following the ruling.
She said: “Obviously, public bodies have been asked to look at their own guidance.
“And we will do that very, very carefully.”
But she warned against public bodies making statements “that may alarm people”, telling them to take their time to look at their guidance.
Baroness Kishwer Falkner, chair of the UK’s Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC), said the ruling means there is “no confusion” now.
She said the NHS will “have to change” its 2019 policy, which says transgender patients are entitled to be accommodated on single-sex wards matching how they identify.
-
Sports2 years ago‘Storybook stuff’: Inside the night Bryce Harper sent the Phillies to the World Series
-
Sports1 year agoStory injured on diving stop, exits Red Sox game
-
Sports1 year agoGame 1 of WS least-watched in recorded history
-
Sports2 years agoMLB Rank 2023: Ranking baseball’s top 100 players
-
Sports4 years ago
Team Europe easily wins 4th straight Laver Cup
-
Environment2 years agoJapan and South Korea have a lot at stake in a free and open South China Sea
-
Environment2 years agoGame-changing Lectric XPedition launched as affordable electric cargo bike
-
Business3 years agoBank of England’s extraordinary response to government policy is almost unthinkable | Ed Conway