By Julie Mullan
A call has been made for urgent measures to restore postal delivery performance after what one NI MP called an ongoing crisis that started at Christmas.
The motion tabled on Thursday 12th February signed by MP Sorcha Eastwood of Lagan Valley comes after customers reported missed hospital and medical letters, leading to missed appointments.
The Communications Workers Union (CWU) described the Royal Mail crisis in Derry over the winter period, 2025/2026, as the “worst” in the UK.
Years of underinvestment, overstretched and inadequate facilities in Derry are said to be the cause, according to the CWU. The union says parcels are being prioritised over letters, which they say is not a suitable or sustainable solution. Adding, 40 extra staff members were brought in from England in December to help with the delays.
The Consumer Council for Northern Ireland says residents have reported missing NHS appointment letters. With patients receiving appointment letters days or weeks after the scheduled date, resulting in missed consultations and procedures.
Rose, from the Derry area said a postwoman told her, “I shouldn’t be expected to drive on roads like this”
Rose added: “It’s ridiculous because the postwoman chooses to be a postwoman.”
“This was the lady’s excuse for delivery letters arriving in a bundle approximately once a week. Letters for hospital appointments came at last minute and were delayed due to post.”
As well as hospital appointments other important documents such as passports have been delayed, with a Derry woman described how she “missed her holiday due to a delay in delivering her passport”.
CWU and local politicians have called for a new, larger or secondary distribution site in the Northwest to manage the volume as the current infrastructure is deemed inadequate.
Peter Ramsey, former Mayor for Derry City has now called for an urgent, independent review of the postal service in Derry.
He said: “There has been a major crisis in Derry for some time now, in terms of the deliveries of letters. Anybody with any forward thinking would have realised there would have been a major surge at Christmas. They have failed miserably the people of this city and they continue to fail them”.
MP Sorcha Eastwood told me that she has been doing a huge amount of work on Royal Mail issue, including tabling the parliamentary motion calling for a review of their ownership. An excerpt from the motion’s text calls for the
“Government, Ofcom and Royal Mail to set out urgent measures to restore delivery performance, ensure equality of service across all regions and nations, and strengthen accountability for persistent failures; and further calls for a review of Royal Mail’s ownership and governance model to ensure the Universal Service Obligation is protected in the public interest”.
SDLP MLA for Foyle, Mark H Durkan said: “I’ve been working on the issue of postal delays for the best part of two years and have met with Royal Mail management on several occasions during that time.
“Yet I continue to receive a high number of complaints from constituents across the city about ongoing delays with letter deliveries. Some areas have gone weeks without post, including vital hospital appointments, Christmas and birthday cards arriving long after the date.
“For a long time now, myself and others have been calling for alternative premises to properly serve the city. I’m disappointed that after writing to Royal Mail, this option does not appear to have been seriously considered.
“That said, I do welcome acknowledgement that there are serious issues and that work is underway to address workforce pressures. Postal staff are doing their best under difficult circumstances and they deserve decent working conditions.
“That means properly resourced teams and premises which are fit for purpose.
“Great James Street delivery office is simply not big enough to cope with current demand. I’ll continue to push for a postal service that delivers for Derry.”
In a letter from Mr Durkan, Lily Waters from Royal Mail said: “From an operational perspective, we have already begun implementing a series of mitigations to improve space, flow, and overall service at Londonderry Delivery Office.
“Our immediate priority is to stabilise service performance and improve conditions for both our customers and our staff. From an operational perspective, we have already begun implementing a series of mitigations to improve space, flow, and overall service at Londonderry Delivery Office.
“Our immediate priority is to stabilise service performance and improve conditions for both our customers and our staff”.
Student Journalist at UUC