Royal Mail has been referred to Ofcom by a committee of MPs who claim it’s been failing to deliver letters six days a week.
The company’s CEO has also been accused of “incompetence or cluelessness”.
The Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee – which is a cross-parliamentary committee made up of MPs nationwide – has asked the industry regulator to investigate a suspected breach of the universal service obligation (USO) requiring the country’s national postal service to deliver letters six days a week.
Following the publication of its inquiry report into Royal Mail’s activities, the committee says the postal service had “systematically failed” in its duty to deliver letters, and claimed to find that the company had prioritised more lucrative parcels instead.
Because of this, the committee says it has asked Ofcom to open an enforcement investigation.
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The committee’s inquiry took place amid a turbulent time for the Royal Mail when 112,000 of its staff -who were members of Communication Workers’ Union (CWU) – staged “the biggest strike of the summer” and several other subsequent walk-outs last year in a still-ongoing dispute over pay and the company’s modernisation plans.
Royal Mail referred to Ofcom to investigate late deliveries and ‘incompetence’ / Credit: Royal Mail
MPs forming part of the committee have also taken aim at Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson, accusing him in the report of “incompetence or cluelessness”, and of being “not wholly accurate” in answers he’d previously provided in a testimony – with the boss therefore recalled last month to give further evidence.
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“I find it hard to believe that such widespread breaches of company policy and legal obligations are down to a national network of rogue workers conspiring against management at Royal Mail,” Committee chairman Darren Jones said as the report was published this week.
“We were inundated with evidence from postal workers challenging the accuracy of answers given by Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson.
“Frankly, the failures in company policy which Mr Thompson has admitted to can only be due to either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness about what is happening at Royal Mail.
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“Hiding behind the pandemic as a driving factor in failures at Royal Mail does not cut it.”
A committee of MPs claim the postal service has been failing to deliver letters six days a week / Credit: Royal Mail
In response to the accusations by the committee, and the confirmation that an investigation is to be launched, a spokesperson for Royal Mail said: “Royal Mail is proud to deliver the universal service, and our policies are clear that parcels and letters should be treated with equal importance, so we have informed the committee that we will be reviewing the consistent application of our policies regarding the delivery of letters and parcels across the business.”
The company said it would share the findings of the review with Ofcom.
Ofcom said it would not hesitate to “take enforcement action if required”, with a spokesperson adding: “Royal Mail’s recent performance is clearly well short of where it should be, and we’re very concerned about this
“We have asked the company to explain what it’s doing to bring service levels back up as a matter of urgency.”
Featured Image – Royal Mail
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Police appeal after Manchester city centre shooting sees six arrested and one injured
Emily Sergeant
Police are appealing to the public for information after a shooting in Manchester city centre over the weekend.
Officers from Greater Manchester Police (GMP) were called to reports of a disturbance on Richmond Street at around 5am this past Saturday morning (24 January 2026), and upon arriving at the address, discovered that an adult male had an injury to his leg which was consistent with a gunshot wound.
The man, who has not been named, was been taken to hospital with injuries, but they have been described as ‘non-life threatening’ and ‘non-life changing’.
Following the incident, a police investigation was launched straight away.
Six men, all aged between 23 and 26-years-old, have all been arrested on suspicion of affray and firearms offences, and remain in police custody for questioning at this time while investigations are ongoing.
Superintendent Stephen Wiggins, from GMP’s City of Manchester Division, said he understands this will be a ‘concerning incident’ for the whole of Greater Manchester.
“Once the call came in, our officers acted quickly, making to the scene to establish what had unfolded at the address on Richmond Street, detaining six individuals who we believe had been involved, and we managed to recover a firearm at the address.
“I would like to reassure the community that we believe this is a targeted incident, and there is no wider threat to the general public.”
GMP is now appealing to the public for witnesses, or anyone with information, CCTV, or dashcam footage that could assist the investigation, and is urging them to contact police on 0161 856 4259 or 101, quoting log 600 of 24/01/2026.
You can also report information via LiveChat on the GMP website, or through Crimestoppers, anonymously, on 0800 555 111.
Featured Image – GMP
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The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home
Emily Sergeant
The Council is now offering financial help to support people moving into a smaller and ‘more manageable’ property.
Ever heard of ‘rightsizing? Well, according Manchester City Council it’s a process where a tenant in a larger social rent, Council, or Housing Association property, that may have more rooms than they need or perhaps are struggling to manage a big house as they get older, can be supported into a smaller property that better suits their needs.
The benefits of this process include cheaper bills, lower rents, and overall, just homes that are easier to clean and manage.
The aim of it is also to free up larger Council properties for families who are on the housing register – of which there are said to be around 20,000 of them currently at this time, with larger homes having some of the most significant wait times.
Are you struggling to look after a big Council or housing association home? We can help!
We are offering £2,500 to help people move into a smaller more manageable home, freeing up larger homes for families that need them.
It’s also estimated, according to the Council, that a third of all social rented family homes are thought to ‘underoccupied’.
This is why financial support and grants are now being offered.
Last year alone, 109 households were helped to ‘rightsize’ and were supported in the process by a dedicated team of Council officers, as well as benefitting from the Rightsizing Incentive Scheme – with a further 432 households having expressed interest doing so in the future.
Residents interested in ‘rightsizing’ could get a cash incentive of £2,500, which can be spent on anything they like, along with moving costs.
The Council is giving Mancs £2,500 to move into a ‘more manageable’ home / Credit: Benjamin Elliott (via Unsplash)
“Rightsizing could be a brilliant option for older people who are renting a Council home who may have spare rooms they don’t need or would benefit from looking after a smaller property,” explained Cllr Gavin White, who is Manchester City Council’s Executive Member for Housing and Development.
“Often a barrier to moving is the cost, but the Council will take care of the financial burden to help a resident move into a new home.
“The benefit for the city is that we can free up more larger homes for people who are waiting for a property that properly meets their needs. We think around a third of Council tenants could be under occupying their home, which means they could be paying more than they need to or they could be hit with the bedroom tax.”
Emily Sergeant -
17th March 2023 
