The issue of late letter deliveries is not new. Until recently, posties could be dismissed for leaving mail in their frame.
The rise in home shopping and the surge in parcel volumes - especially tracked items - changed Royal Mail’s priorities.
Once tracked products became the focus, Royal Mail ensured those items were delivered on time, often at the expense of letters.
This is not the only cause of today’s unacceptable delivery model, but it is a major factor.
Royal Mail’s workload measurement system, and the way staffing levels are set against it, simply does not reflect the reality on the ground.
When parcel volumes spike, posties cannot complete their full mail deliveries. It’s that simple. Royal Mail’s profits now come overwhelmingly from parcels.
Letter volumes continue to fall and generate very little profit outside the Christmas period.
That is why parcels are consistently prioritised over letters - and why the public is seeing the consequences every day.