COMPLETE STUART'S POSTAL SERVICES SURVEY HERE
Tenacious Rural MP said he will not stop until Royal Mail deliver every letter.
Stuart Anderson MP is urging residents across South Shropshire to share their experiences of using local postal services, as he steps up his campaign against postal exclusion in rural areas. Stuart's survey follows a Westminster Hall Debate that he held on Wednesday 4th February 2026, in which he made clear the need for accessible and affordable postal services in rural areas like South Shropshire. Stuart's campaign is part of his plan to enhance public services in South Shropshire and follows complaints from constituents about delayed letters and concerns about potential post office closures.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
"Residents deserve access to a genuinely accessible and affordable postal service which keeps families and friends connected, businesses alive, and people informed. I fully support the hard work and dedicated efforts of our posties and postmasters. However, changes being proposed by the government could push thousands of postmasters out of work and cut access to their vital services. Meanwhile, changes to mail delivery targets mean residents could lose out on the prompt delivery of important correspondence like NHS appointments and benefit decisions. I urge as many residents as possible to complete my survey to let me know how these changes will affect them."
Post Office
Since his election, Stuart has successfully opposed the planned closure of Post Offices across South Shropshire and resumed services in Cleobury Mortimer, which had been closed since April 2023. However, Stuart has warned that new government plans threaten to derail this progress by leaving the size of the network up to the Post Office. The consultation could see up to half of Britain’s Post Offices close, as the government reviews the annual subsidy which provides £50 million to help the Post Office meet minimum access criteria. This means 19 individual branches could close in South Shropshire, cutting access and pushing thousands of Postmasters out of work who have served local communities for many decades.
The Conservative-led government introduced a 11,500 minimum service requirement in 2010, following thousands of cuts to the network under the Labour government between 1997 and 2010. The last Labour government cut the number of post offices by 38%. 7,166 post offices closed between 1997 and 2010 – the equivalent of more than one every single day. The changes could also remove the requirement for 99% of the population to live within a one-mile radius of a Post Office, while 95% of those in rural areas live within three miles. They could also phase out part-time outreach or mobile services, which make up 14% of the total network and typically serve rural areas, though they are open on average just seven hours a week. Post Offices have also been hit by recent tax hikes, including a £45 million Jobs Tax bombshell, 140 per cent increase in business rates, and £8 million hit from the Employment Rights Bill.
Royal Mail
As the designated regulator for postal services, Ofcom can investigate and take enforcement action, should Royal Mail fail to achieve its targets under the Universal Service Obligation (USO) without good justification. Royal Mail's latest results show that the company did not meet its delivery targets for First- or Second-class post between July and September 2025. In October, the firm was fined £21 million for missing its annual delivery targets. In July 2025, Ofcom announced changes to the USO which mean Royal Mail only needs to deliver Second Class mail on alternative weekdays and drop the requirement to deliver second-class letters on Saturdays. From April, the target to deliver Second-Class mail within three days will also be reduced from 98.5% to 95%. The target to deliver 93% of First-Class mail within one working day will drop to 90%.
On 28th January 2026, Citizens Advice revealed that 16 million people - representing 29% of UK adults – had experienced postal delays over Christmas. This figure has doubled in a year and is the highest in five years. 5.7 million missed important letters like health appointments, benefit decisions, and legal documents. Stuart has said that enhanced protections are needed for rural areas where many people continue to depend upon postal services to stay informed and keep connected.
