Problems with postal deliveries across Rugby are now being formally investigated

Following John Slinger's question in Parliament on Royal Mail's performance in Rugby last week, senior Royal Mail executives confirmed that the concerns he raised had been escalated to the local management team and the regional operations director.

Mr Slinger also asked the Leader of the House how Parliament can best hold to account a company responsible for delivering a nationally important service. He further called for consideration of a debate in Government time on how greater public oversight and accountability can be exerted over this vital public service.

In recent weeks, Mr Slinger said he has been contacted by more than 60 constituents regarding Royal Mail's performance, including reports of delayed deliveries, large backlogs of post arriving at once, and, in some cases, no deliveries at all.

The Rugby Advertiser has also received called from unhappy residents - including Alan Hunt, from Bilton, who said he was kept waiting before 27 letters turned up all at once.

Mr Slinger believes the volume of complaints suggests that this is not an isolated incident but may instead indicate a wider systemic problem within the organisation. Earlier this year, he mapped the locations of complaints received from constituents. While there were notable concentrations in Hillmorton and Brownsover, the issue appeared to be widespread across the town, suggesting that it could not be explained solely by staff absences or temporary local factors.

Mr Slinger, is also expected to meet with Royal Mail's senior public affairs manager at Labour Party Conference to further represent the frustration felt by many of his constituents.

The MP said: "Time and time again constituents come to me saying their post hasn't been delivered for weeks, and then it all turns up in a bulk delivery – this is not normal practice. I'm calling on Royal Mail to take our concerns seriously and get a grip of the situation in Rugby.

"Most concerning is that Royal Mail is failing blind constituents in Rugby, the brilliant Talking Newspaper is not being delivered on time, meaning Royal mail is breaking its obligation to deliver articles for the blind first class (routing time of the next working day).

"I will continue to raise this in Parliament until performance issues in Rugby are resolved."

Speaking to The Rugby Advertiser in a previous story, a Royal Mail spokesperson said temporary staffing pressures at Rugby Delivery Office have affected deliveries, adding: “We take concerns about deliveries very seriously and understand how important it is that customers receive their mail when expected.”

"Any outstanding mail is being prioritised and the team is working to return her deliveries to normal as quickly as possible.”