Another letter sent to Royal Mail

21st February 2011

Dear Moya Greene

We wrote to you originally on 12th January and on 17th February received, at last, a reply from your office. The reply, however, did not address the issues we raised about the appalling Royal Mail service over the Christmas period and which continue to the present.

We should advise you that articles we have run on Audlem Online about Royal Mail have attracted a number of lengthy interviews on the BBC where we have asked for a Parliamentary enquiry into the service which you, as chief executive, are responsible for providing.

The failures we have described on air include an item taking 42 days to cross from one side of our village to the other and a package taking from 28th November until 2nd February to arrive from Cardiff . Only last week, we reported a credit card statement taking from 28th November until 17th February to arrive in Audlem.

We have had reports of cheques going missing causing cash flow difficulties to businesses; complications with court cases because of very lengthy postal delays and people receiving late payment charges on credit cards because of postal delays or cheques going missing.

Most worrying are the reports from businesses of mail, including cheques for payment into banks or to suppliers, simply disappearing.

We are told by a number of sources that a marquee was erected in Warrington and much of our mail was dumped there. The marquee could not be heated because of Health & Safety concerns and, consequently, the mail could not be processed by Royal Mail staff.

Your letter, signed by Anita Byrne in your office, has simply inflamed the situation as it appears to divert blame to our local postal workers. They, unlike Royal Mail, have worked brilliantly throughout and it is extremely unfair to even attempt to shift any responsibility away from the senior management decisions taken by you and your predecessor.

We would be grateful for some straight answers to the following questions. Please be aware that both questions and answers are to be published in full and will be used in media interviews. The BBC want us to keep them fully informed on what we hear from you. The questions are:

1. Could you let Audlem Online know why the service was so appalling for almost three months and why your spokesmen misled the local media when, after it was announced that the CW area was the 120th worst in England, Scotland and Wales out of 121 areas, he claimed the teething problems at the Warrington Sorting Office had been 'sorted'; then that it was the weather; then people mis-addressing mail; then that the incidents of delayed post were 'isolated'.

2. Could you confirm, deny, or correct the points made above about the marquee in Warrington. We are told that security was inadequate and that items in your care simply 'disappeared'.

3. Could you explain why a chief executive, who above all others in the UK should encourage the prompt answering of letters, can take 39 days to answer a letter, and then do so without responding to the questions raised.

We look forward to hearing from you and publishing your response. This letter has also been forwarded to local MP, Stephen O'Brien.