Since the beginning of 2023, Michael has written to Royal Mail on numerous occasions to raise concerns about infrequent and sporadic mail deliveries across Surrey Heath.
For the past several months, a number of constituents from Camberley, Old Dean, Frimley, Frimley Green, Mytchett, Deepcut and Tongham have continued to be affected by a poor service from Royal Mail, and Royal Mail has explained previously that they are experiencing issues due to high levels of staff sickness which has led to disruption to deliveries.
Please see the below a timeline of the most recent action Michael has been taking:
*LATEST UPDATE* 8 March 2024 - Michael returned to Camberley Delivery Office for an update from Royal Mail on the work to improve its service to constituents in Surrey Heath.
Michael was delighted to hear that Royal Mail has recruited more members of staff at Camberley Delivery Office, and he was informed that staff absence rates have significantly improved and morale is up. Royal Mail has also promised to review all delivery rounds at Camberley Delivery Office to ensure that the service becomes consistent.
Michael will, of course, continue to monitor the situation closely, and he wishes to hear from any residents who are continuing to experience postal delays.
31 January 2024 – Michael received an update from Royal Mail, which is copied below, reporting improvements to postal services in Surrey Heath. Michael plans to visit Camberley Delivery Office again in the coming weeks and posted on Facebook to ask constituents to let him know whether they have noticed an improvement or if the problems persist.
13 December 2023 - Michael held a virtual meeting with Royal Mail executives and posted the following update on his Facebook page:
On Wednesday, I had a virtual meeting with Royal Mail regarding the ongoing issue of delays to postal deliveries across Surrey Heath.
I spoke with David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy, and Chez Bondonno, Operational Performance Lead for the GU area.
They are conscious that the team at Camberley Delivery Office has been understaffed for some time, particularly due to challenges with ill-health, but they are going all out to boost staffing levels to improve the service to customers. Vacancies at Camberley Delivery Office can be found at https://jobs.royalmailgroup.com/
They also assured me that the Camberley team is working very hard to increase turnround, and that the situation is improving, despite the significant increase in mail at this time of year, particularly parcels.
Royal Mail is well aware of strains on the system, and I understand that parcels need to be prioritised, due to various reasons with capacity and health and safety, in order to ensure the system can continue to operate.
I will, of course, continue to monitor the situation, and if you are experiencing any issues with deliveries in Surrey Heath, please let me know by emailing: michael.gove.mp@parliament.uk
24 November 2023 - Following continued reports from constituents that there are still problems with deliveries, Michael wrote once more to Royal Mail and requested a further meeting.
19 October 2023 – Michael wrote to Royal Mail to once again request an update on the action being taken to improve the service to residents.
26 September 2023 - Michael contacted Royal Mail to monitor progress following his visit to Camberley Delivery Office.
1 September 2023 - Michael visited the Camberley delivery office to speak to management about the problems they are experiencing, particularly with unprecedented levels of staff illness. Michael was encouraged to hear that Royal Mail recognised they have been underperforming in Surrey Heath, and that they are making positive changes to improve their service. He was informed that the office was in the process of rectifying some of the processes which were leading to it functioning inadequately and that improvements should be seen imminently.
9 August 2023 – Michael received a response from Royal Mail concerning mail deliveries in Camberley, which is copied below
4 August 2023 - Michael wrote again to Michael Hogg, Senior Public Affairs Manager at Royal Mail, to express his concerns about the ongoing complaints he is receiving from constituents, and requested a meeting as soon as possible.
10 July 2023 – Michael received a response from Royal Mail concerning mail deliveries in Old Dean, which is copied below.
7 July 2023 – Michael wrote to Royal Mail to raise concerns about the poor service and infrequent deliveries to constituents Old Dean.