2025: Week 4 - Post Office and Royal Mail

As I walked to the train on Monday it nearly felt like spring – snowdrops in flower, a moment of warm sunshine and vibrant crocus flowers ready to bloom.  With Spring just around the corner, despite the American Groundhog predicting six more weeks of winter, I am looking forward to the budding trees and new green growth. 

Knocking on doors in Teignmouth on Saturday one issue kept coming up, the closure of the Crown Post office the town.  It has also been a frequent subject in my inbox, along with issues about the Royal Mail deliveries. 

From Ipplepen to Starcross I have been hearing that Royal Mail has been doing just three deliveries a week for some while, sometimes just two.  The ruling of OFCOM last week allowing them to do this was a big disappointment.  So, I was delighted to be part of the debate in Parliament last week on the Post Office, but was saddened to hear that these issues are all over the country. 

Royal Mail deliveries are vital to so many of our other services.  I have heard of people missing hospital appointments because their letter arrives the day after the appointment.  I don’t believe that two or three deliveries a week is enough.  Making the service less reliable and timely is a surefire way to reduce its use and to manage the decline of a critical service – even in this digital age. 

Crown Post Offices – or Directly Managed offices – have a full service offering, whereas the alternative of a franchised service may not.  Dawlish and Newton Abbot lost their Crown Offices some years ago, and we have recently been seeing some issues with these town centre franchises.  

In both the main Newton Abbot and Dawlish franchises, it appears that the dedicated counters and staff have been replaced by more of a shared service model.  Over recent months, both businesses have also had temporary closures of Post Office services due to staff shortages. 

In the debate we heard that a lot of towns had been reassured that when their last bank closed, they could still go to their Post Office.  We also heard that in the new banking hubs – run by the Post Office – couldn’t offer Post Office services. 

It was even pointed out that despite there being a regulated minimum distance for a posting box from new homes, these were not being provided.  Some years ago, I did bring this up with the Teignbridge planning department, but they told me it wasn’t a planning matter. I will be seeking an answer to this in Parliament. 

Full service post offices are a vital element of the community, and I believe we should do everything we can to dissuade the Post Office from shutting them down. 

If you agree with me, please see my website ( www.martinwrigley.co.uk ) for a petition we are running to save Teignmouth Post Office – which I will be presenting in Parliament in a few months’ time.