McArthur raises post disruption with Royal Mail during meeting in parliament

Orkney’s MSP Liam McArthur met with national representatives of Royal Mail today to discuss the impact of recent disruption to postal services in the islands.

Mr McArthur requested the meeting following complaints over recent months from many constituents and local businesses affected by the disruption. It comes as Royal Mail continue to implement network changes resulting in post to the islands moving through Glasgow rather than Inverness or Aberdeen.

Orkney’s MSP met with David Gold, Director of External Affairs and Policy, and Ross Hutchison, Scotland Operations Director for Royal Mail in parliament this afternoon.

Commenting after the meeting, Mr McArthur said:

“The level of disruption to postal services in Orkney recently has been deeply concerning. It’s clear the changes to Royal Mail’s operations nationally have had an impact, but the lack of resilience within the service locally is also worrying.

“Having been raising these issues with Royal Mail over many months, it was helpful to have an opportunity finally to sit down with senior representatives of the business to highlight some of the specific examples of what that disruption has meant in practice for people and businesses in Orkney.

“In particular, I highlighted the missed medical and hospital appointments and the concerns raised with me by NHS Orkney. Royal Mail have offered to engage directly with NHS Orkney to see what more can be done to address these problems and give greater confidence to patients.

“I urged Royal Mail to make it easier to recruit staff, including on a short term basis, and for improved support and training for staff.

“Recent events have clearly damaged public confidence. Turning this around will require, first and foremost, improvements in the reliability of the service, but also in communication with customers. I therefore invited Mr Gold and Mr Hutchison to visit Orkney to hear directly from customers and to engage with the community about how those improvements will be delivered. I look forward to that visit being arranged in the near future.

“As Royal Mail accepts, people and businesses in Orkney have a right to expect the same level of service as those living elsewhere in the country. Too often of late, that has not been the case but that needs to change.”