Mims Davies MP said:
"I've received a number of concerned enquiries again from constituents regarding Royal Mail, postal deliveries and the rate at which letters are being delivered. This is a reoccurrence of a previous issue my casework team and I have been alerted to.
Our local posties work very hard in all weathers. Retirements, recruitment and the challenging physical role makes it a tough one. It’s vital we support them and understand what they need to make the service what they want and what we need. I thank the local teams for their efforts and I know they need additional resources to balance their mail and parcel duties.
As a result of this issue, my team and I have been previously making a number of enquiries to the Senior Management team of Royal Mail, but I was resolute I wanted to see the situation for myself and hear from posties - so I did - particularly at Christmas last year when the number of enquiries and concerns I was receiving was at a high. We got straight to the point; it’s obvious that staffing is an issue. The previous MP for Lewes, Maria Caulfield organised a meeting for Sussex MPs to co ordinate our frustrations on behalf of concerned constituents and businesses.
I know, particularly from my meeting with the local team at their Haywards Heath sorting office, just how incredibly hard they are all continuously working and how difficult things have been. We also organised for a local recruitment banner to be hung outside to promote the need for more staff and encourage residents to apply. This previously had been centralised and had been an annoyance for staff knowing they needed extra local help with recruitment.
At the Royal Mail management team meeting in Parliament earlier this year, we discussed residents' ongoing concerns. Including meeting with their Regional Operations Director, John Doyle, and Head of Public Affairs at Royal Mail, Fiona Hamilton and Maria Caulfield chaired a full and frank meeting on behalf of constituents.
It was useful to meet with them and discuss the future of the Post Office network, including its future size and shape as the needs of our Sussex communities evolve but most importantly to hear how their plans to improve services will be delivered.
However, I need your help! Please email me at Mims.Davies.MP@Parliament.uk with your latest experiences of what is happening now locally and I will be able to raise these collectively at my next meeting engagement on this. I am aware of concerns in Slaugham and Pease Pottage too, which maybe linked to other sites. So a latest picture is very welcome."
