South London residents feel 'forgotten' after Royal Mail delays
Anthony, a Carshalton resident, told the Local Democracy Reporting Service he and his wife had to collect urgent post from the sorting office after not receiving mail for over a week."They're only dropping off parcels," he said, quoting a Royal Mail driver who claimed staff were told "not to bother with letters right now".Royal Mail is legally obliged to deliver first-class mail within one working day.Last year, the company failed to meet delivery targets in all London postcodes, and Liberal Democrat MP Bobby Dean said there did not appear to have been any signs of improvement.Dean, who represents Carshalton and Wallington, described the situation as "completely unacceptable" and said it was clear "Royal Mail is in disarray"."When I contacted Royal Mail for an explanation, they simply said that they had 'operational issues'. That's not good enough," he said."Previous fines have clearly done nothing to change the company's behaviour. Communities across the UK depend on this service, and there is now an urgent need for greater transparency and accountability."
The MP has urged Ofcom, which regulates Royal Mail, to step in and tackle what he said were repeated failures and a lack of transparency from the company.Residents and businesses in Croydon experienced similar delays of up to two weeks over the last Christmas period due to staffing shortages at Royal Mail's Factory Lane sorting office.The disruption impacted the delivery of time-sensitive items, including NHS appointment letters and medical prescriptions.In response to the recent delays, a Royal Mail spokesperson said: "We acknowledge that our quality of service is not yet where we want it to be, and we're working hard to deliver the standard our customers in Carshalton and Wallington expect."They added that across the UK, the vast majority of first-class letters still arrived within two days, and that significant drops in letter volumes meant households may no longer receive daily deliveries."Delays lasting weeks are not something our local delivery offices are reporting," they said."We will contact the local MP to better understand and investigate the concerns raised by residents."
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The Guardian
20 minutes ago
- The Guardian
What will happen to people arrested on Palestine Action demonstration?
The consequences of being arrested for expressing support for Palestine Action could be 'life-changing', one of those detained during Saturday's protests, Sir Jonathon Porritt, has admitted. While the former government adviser said that he had carefully deliberated over a decision to take part, the road ahead for the more than 500 people arrested on Saturday involves possible criminal charges, court cases and convictions. Ultimately, custodial sentences of as much as 14 years could be imposed. Those whose details could be confirmed were released on bail to appear at a police station at a future date. The police will be sending case files to the Crown Prosecution Service, as it has already done in the case of at least 26 others who were arrested at previous protests in support of Palestine Action. All those arrested have now been released under police bail, with the main condition being not to attend any future demonstrations aiming to overwhelm the criminal justice system in protest at the proscription of Palestine Action by the British government. They will be asked how they plead and if it is not guilty they can elect for a trial before a magistrate or, more likely, a district judge. The majority of the 522 people arrested in Parliament Square – in most cases after displaying pieces of cardboard saying 'I opposed genocide, I support Palestine Action' – were detained under section 13 of the Terrorism Act 2000. This is the 'lower level' part of the act, which means those who are charged will be tried in a magistrates court rather than a crown court. Some have been charged under the more serious section 12, which means they could seek to have their case heard in front of a jury of their peers at a crown court. The prosecution could also seek to have the trial heard there. Defend Our Juries, the organising group behind the protest, has said it won't be recommending what people do, as they have already participated 'at huge personal cost' but it will be 'providing the information'. There is a scenario in which court trials do not happen, if the co-founder of Palestine Action is successful in a legal challenge against the home secretary's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws. Given that most those arrested on Saturday will be investigated under section 13 of the terrorism act, they could well walk free from court. They face a maximum sentence of six months' imprisonment or a fine of up to £5,000 or both, while magistrates will also take into account factors such as good character. More than half of those arrested on Saturday were also aged 60 or over. Those arrested under the more serious section 12 of the Terrorism Act face a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison if convicted. However, such individuals could end up being tried before a jury in a crown court. In recent cases under section 13, people charged with supporting Hamas, including displaying pictures of hang gliders such as those used in the 7 October 2023 attack on Israel, were given absolute or conditional discharges. Will a jury drawn from their peers be more likely to sympathise with those arrested on Saturday? Those involved in organising the protest are confident that the British public is on the same page as them. The impact of such a conviction would be felt in everything from employment to travel. Many of those arrested are retired and, while they do not have a job to lose, the possibility of being unable to get a visa to go abroad might weigh. However, the consequences are starker for others arrested on Saturday including health workers and doctors. There was an organised 'health block' of 13 medical professionals – including an obstetrician and gynaecologist, three other working doctors, a number of nurses, and retired doctors. Alice Clack, a senior obstetrician and gynaecologist in the NHS, said: 'If doctors are charged with a crime we have to self-report to the GMC [General Medical Council], who then have a look at the crime in question and decide whether to refer it to the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service. 'Then, someone could expect to be suspended or they could be erased from the register. That is the possibility.' As for seeking future employment, recent legislation largely reduced the period of time during which those convicted of most crimes must declare a conviction. However, while it reduced the period of time during which an individual must declare a conviction, it does not apply to terrorist offences – which never become spent.
The Guardian
20 minutes ago
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Palestine Action co-founder accuses ministers of making defamatory claims
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Telegraph
an hour ago
- Telegraph
Boy in the Striped Pyjamas author cancelled by trans zealots
While Boyne is probably strong enough to withstand the attempts to cancel him, it is a different matter for the Polari Prize. This imbroglio has heaped pressure on Paul Burston, the author and journalist who founded it in 2011. Some online activists have accused Burston of privately being a terf himself, with the inclusion of Boyne on the longlist allegedly allowing the mask to slip. In October 2018, he signed an open letter criticising the lobbying group Stonewall for its 'mistakes' in campaigning on transgender issues that were 'undermining women's sex-based rights and protections'. Burston, alongside Julie Bindel, the feminist campaigner, and Kathleen Stock, the philosopher, urged Stonewall to 'acknowledge that there are a range of valid viewpoints around sex, gender and transgender politics, and to acknowledge specifically that a conflict exists between transgenderism and sex-based women's rights'. They added a request for the charity 'to commit to fostering an atmosphere of respectful debate rather than demonising as transphobic those who wish to discuss, or dissent from, Stonewall's transgender policies'. Organisers of the Polari Prize, which got a £64,000 grant from Arts Council England this year to stage a series of events across the country, put out a measured statement in response to the ongoing furore on Thursday, but it has done little to quell the outrage. 'Books are one of our best means to explore the most difficult and divisive issues, and we encourage an open dialogue across our community,' the statement reads. 'It remains deeply important to us that trans and non-binary readers and writers feel welcome, safe and supported by the Polari Prize and the Polari Salon and continue to participate in our movement as readers, writers and performers.' That sentiment was echoed in a new statement to The Telegraph today. 'The past few weeks have been extremely difficult for the trans and non-binary writers and communities associated with the Polari Prize. The hurt and anger caused has been a matter of deep concern to everyone associated with the prize, for which we sincerely apologise. We accept and respect the decisions of those writers and judges who have chosen to withdraw. 'Despite these events, we are committed to going forward with the prize this year. However, we will be undertaking a full review of the prize processes, consulting representatives from across the community ahead of next year's awards, taking on board the learnings from this year.' The bandwagon keeps rolling, however. 'There's a lot of pressure on the writers who remain on the lists,' says another author who is friends with both Boyne and Burston. 'They're nutters. It's just a pile-on, and they just want to destroy everything. It's terrifying. It's like we are living in the McCarthy era.'
