Concerns have been raised over “infrequent” postal services in rural parts of Armagh.
The issue was first raised with Armagh I in September of this year after a resident claimed that post wasn’t being delivered to her address in a timely fashion and was instead being delivered in bundles once a week.
Sinn Féin Newry and Armagh MP Dáire Hughes, has added to serious concerns on behalf of his constituents about the reliability of services with Royal Mail.
Dáire Hughes MP said: “A number of constituents have been in contact with me explaining that they have not been receiving a reliable postal service in recent weeks.
“Some people in rural areas of County Armagh seem to be receiving post as infrequently as once a fortnight, or once every three weeks. This has led to post arriving late and in some cases has resulted in appointments being missed, including some medical appointments.”
“The sporadic arrival of post can also result in bills being delivered late and my fear is that this will heap financial pressure on people in the midst of this cost of living crisis.
Concluding Dáire Hughes MP said: “I know that Royal Mail staff across Newry and Armagh work hard to provide a first class service and that our local post and sorting offices are extremely busy, especially now in the run up to Christmas.
“Our local Royal Mail employees will be braving the elements in the weeks ahead to make sure post and parcels are delivered in good time and I want to commend and thank them for their efforts. I know the issues people are facing are not due to local staff. They appear to be procedural issues with Royal Mail.
“I have written directly to Royal Mail outlining these concerns and I have asked them to urgently review their processes to make sure people living in rural areas receive the same standard of service as everyone else.
“Rural citizens, in many cases, are more dependent on reliable post delivery. They expect and are fully entitled to the highest standard of service and that is what Royal Mail should deliver.”
