The BBC headline news reporting the massive problems within the Royal Mail postal delivery service will come as no surprise to those living in the Blyth and Ashington constituency.

Constituents have been reporting serious problems regarding postal deliveries to my office for ages.

Following discussions with union representatives who provided first-hand accounts of the unacceptable backlogs in our local delivery offices, I raised the issue in a question to the Government in the House of Commons last month.

Not only are people not receiving extremely important letters in time, postal workers are experiencing unacceptable pressures – both direct consequences of the commercial priorities of its billionaire owner.

Some postcodes are facing delays in receiving their post.

placeholder image — Some postcodes are facing delays in receiving their post.

The more profitable parcel delivery side is being allocated resources at the expense of letters that can be left undelivered for weeks.

The Royal Mail was privatised by the Coalition Government in 2013 despite the warnings that this would lead to the end of the universal postal delivery service. Those warnings were ignored and we are living with the predictable consequences.

The Royal Mail may be in private hands, but it still operates under statutes which stipulate the levels of postal service it must provide.

The Czech billionaire who bought it in 2025 pledged to abide by those rules. It has not taken very long for us to find out that his assurances were hollow.

The Government and Ofcom the Postal Regulator must demand that Royal Mail provides the level of service set out in the relevant regulations or face serious consequences.

Despite the widespread use of email, many still rely on letters for important aspects of their lives. Late deliveries cause delays in medical treatments, unpaid bills and unnecessary stress. The well-being of our people is vastly more important than corporate profits.

As in the cases of rail, water and energy, the Royal Mail is another example of the damage done by the privatisation of essential services since the Thatcher years.

The Labour Government is rightly taking rail back into public control, but why leave it there? One by one, it should do the same with all essential utilities.

Residents in the Blyth and Ashington constituency can contact my office by calling 01670 852494 or emailing [email protected] and there are also regular updates that are posted on my Facebook page (Ian Lavery MP).