Stuart Anderson MP has warned that South Shropshire must not be left behind as major changes to postal deliveries take effect in the area.
Stuart Anderson MP said:
““For many residents and businesses in South Shropshire, access to efficient and affordable postal services remain a lifeline. I have been campaigning for improved services and closely monitoring the rollout of Royal Mail’s new model at Welshpool Delivery Office, which will see second-class letters delivered on alternate weekdays rather than six days a week ahead of a national roll-out affecting more areas in South Shropshire by Christmas. While Royal Mail states it does not expect this to impact services, I am following the situation to ensure this is the case. Residents who experience delays, missed deliveries, or a drop in service standards can contact my office so I can raise the case directly with Royal Mail.”
Stuart is closely monitoring the rollout of a new model at the Royal Mail Delivery Office in Welshpool, which serves parts of South Shropshire. Under the pilot, non-first-class letters is moving to alternate weekday delivery on Monday to Friday and Saturday letter deliveries are being removed. Welshpool is one of 240 delivery offices testing the changes ahead of a national rollout to 1,200 delivery offices by Christmas 2026. This will affect more areas in South Shropshire like Bridgnorth, Ludlow, Craven Arms, and Church Stretton.
The changes were approved by Ofcom last year, which also lowered Royal Mail’s overall performance targets. The first-class mail target was lowered from 93% to 90% for next-day delivery. The second-class mail target was lowered from 98.5% to 95% within three working days.
Royal Mail has said that the changes are needed because of falling letter volumes. Total annual mail dropped from 20 billion to roughly 6 billion letters - a decline of more than 70%. The average household now receives just four letters per week, down from 14 at its peak in 2004–05. At the same time, the number of addresses has risen by four million. In correspondence with Stuart, Royal Mail added that, without reform, the cost of delivering the “one-price-goes-anywhere” service to 32 million UK addresses will keep rising and make it harder to invest in products and services.
Royal Mail has published a £500 million, five-year improvement plan. It aims to meet the new, lower targets within 12 months and allows 6,000 part-time postal workers to increase their average weekly hours if needed. Stuart has said the plan needs to result in tangible improvements for rural areas like South Shropshire where high-quality postal services remain a lifeline for many older residents and those without internet.
Royal Mail has told Stuart it does not expect the changes to impact local services like collections or deliveries. However, Stuart has said he is following the situation to ensure this is the case. He has invited any residents who experience delays, missed deliveries, or a drop in standards to contact him so he can take the case up with Royal Mail.
