ROYAL Mail has missed its delivery targets for first class post across the region.
In Birmingham just over 91.8 per cent of first-class mail to homes and businesses was delivered the day after posting in the first half of the year to September.
Despite the company reaching its national target of 93 per cent, it failed to meet the figure in Coventry and Warwickshire, Worcester, Wolverhampton, Dudley and Stoke-on-Trent where just 89.5 per cent of first class mail arrived on time in the six months to September.
A spokesman for Royal Mail said although it had not reached targets for the first half of the year in Birmingham, combined figures for the last three months, which have not been published, take the figure above the national target.
She said: “The latest performance figures for the last three months takes Birmingham over the national target however we are not complacent and constantly look for opportunities to improve the service we provide.”
However Royal Mail conceded deliveries in Stoke-on-Trent and Worcester, where 90.3 per cent of first class mail arrived on time in the first half of the year, were below full year target.
The company said there were no particular issues or problems in the two areas but it added it was working hard to improve the quality offered in the two areas.
Royal Mail no longer provides a regional breakdown of second class delivery figures
since the structure of the consumer watchdog Postwatch changed.
The watchdog has now merged with Energywatch and is now a new organisation called Consumer Focus.
A spokesman for Consumer Focus, said it would monitor the situation over the busy festive period but added Royal Mail had met its local postcode area targets of 91.5 per cent in 109 out of 118 areas.
He said: “Royal Mail’s figures are encouraging and heading in the right direction. While two areas in the West Midlands failed to meet their delivery targets, Consumer Focus does not see this as indicative of a problem in the West Midlands.
“The figures show that reasonable improvements were made to the service in both areas.
“Consumer Focus will continue to monitor the situation closely over the Christmas period and beyond.”
The quality report to Postcomm and Consumer Focus for the second quarter of the year between July and September showed there were 17,723 complaints across the UK unresolved at the beginning of the period and 288,469 complaints were received during that time.
