In response to continuing Royal Mail problems, Alexander has written to the Minister for Postal Services to demand action.
Alexander has been clear that the recent chaos is NOT the fault of our hardworking postal workers. They are doing their best under impossible conditions.
Over recent weeks, residents across S25, S26 and S66 have reported the shocking collapse in Royal Mail deliveries. Some people are going days – even weeks – without post. And those suffering most are the people who aren’t online and rely on letters for medical appointments, legal notices, financial information and everyday communication.
Working with Local Conservative councillors, Alexander has been raising this every step of the way:
✔️ Got the story into the press
✔️ Escalated it to senior levels within Royal Mail
✔️ Brought together councillors from across Rother Valley to demand action
But unfortunately Royal Mail STILL isn’t meeting its Universal Service Obligation.
Today Alexander and local councillors wrote to the Government Minister responsible, calling for urgent intervention. Residents deserve a functioning postal service – and Royal Mail must be held to its legal duties.
Local Conservatives are committed to continue to fight for more reliable postal services in Rother Valley.
The full letter is below.
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Re: Request for Government Intervention Over Royal Mail’s Failure to Meet Its Universal Service Obligation in Rother Valley (S25, S26 and S66)
Dear Minister,
We are writing to request immediate ministerial intervention in response to the severe, ongoing, and widespread failures of Royal Mail to provide a functioning postal service across the Rother Valley area. For many months, residents in the S25 and S26 postcode districts have endured extreme delays, missing mail, and a marked deterioration in service standards. Despite repeated attempts to secure updates or remedial action directly from Royal Mail, there has been no meaningful improvement.
These problems are not limited to the areas Royal Mail has publicly acknowledged. Residents in the S66 postcode area—including Maltby, Wickersley and Thurcroft—continue to report significant and persistent disruption. Yet S66 remains absent from Royal Mail’s list of impacted areas, giving the false impression that deliveries there are operating as normal. This lack of transparency only deepens public frustration and obscures the true scale of operational failures.
Across Rother Valley, residents routinely go days—or in some cases weeks—without receiving any post. Many have been forced to travel to the sorting office to collect essential letters and parcels, a process that is neither accessible nor appropriate for the majority of people. The consequences are serious: missed medical appointments, lost legal documents, delayed financial correspondence, and the failure of individuals to receive time-sensitive and sometimes life-altering information.
At this stage, it has become clear that Royal Mail is failing to meet key elements of its Universal Service Obligation (USO), particularly the requirement to deliver letters six days a week to every address in the UK at a uniform and affordable price. When whole communities are repeatedly left without deliveries for prolonged periods, the USO is not being fulfilled. Such sustained non-compliance raises significant concerns about Royal Mail’s operational capacity and its commitment to the public service it is legally obliged to provide.
We must also express our disappointment that the local MP has not taken more decisive action to address these issues, appearing instead to focus on surveys while residents continue to face severe disruption.
Given the duration, severity, and breadth of Royal Mail’s failures—and the absence of adequate response locally or from the organisation itself—we respectfully request:
1. A full, transparent government assessment of Royal Mail’s service failures across S25, S26 and S66, including whether these failures constitute a breach of the Universal Service Obligation.
2. Clarity on why S66 has not been recognised by Royal Mail as an affected area, despite extensive evidence from residents demonstrating otherwise.
3. A requirement for Royal Mail to publish an actionable, time-bound recovery plan, detailing the changes and resources required to restore reliable deliveries across Rother Valley.
4. Assurances that vulnerable residents—including elderly people, disabled individuals, and those who rely on regular medical or financial correspondence—are being prioritised.
5. Government oversight to ensure future compliance with the USO and to prevent further breakdowns in service.
Royal Mail provides a vital public service, and its ongoing failure to meet statutory obligations is having a profound effect on people’s daily lives, wellbeing, and rights. We therefore ask for your urgent attention and direct intervention to ensure that Royal Mail fulfils its duties without further delay.
We look forward to your response and to seeing decisive action taken to protect the interests of residents in Rother Valley.
Yours sincerely,
Alexander Stafford
Former MP for Rother Valley
Cllr Sophie Dack Dinnington Conservatives
Dinnington Ward Councillor
Cllr Julz Hall
Dinnington Ward Councillor
Cllr Simon Ball Maltby and Hellaby Conservatives
Hellaby & Maltby West Ward Councillor
Cllr Lynda Stables
Hellaby & Maltby West Ward Councillor
Cllr Adam Tinsley
Maltby East Ward Councillor
Cllr Josh Bacon Joshua Bacon - Aston & Todwick Councillor
Aston & Todwick Ward Councillor
