Here’s why the Welsh Government should champion equal access to post

Post keeps us connected to the people and services around us. Since the pandemic began, we’ve seen that having access to up-to-date information and essential services, such as healthcare, has been more important than ever. Meanwhile, keeping connected with family, friends and the rest of society has been vital.

Yet, for people in Wales who can’t receive their own letters, these taken-for-granted parts of life are out of reach. Our research shows that people living in vulnerable living situations, such as people who are homeless or experiencing domestic abuse, are most likely to have troubles receiving their post.

Since 2010, 1 in 10 people in Wales have struggled to receive their mail. In the midst of the coronavirus crisis, when many people are more isolated than ever, the consequences of this could be severe.

The Welsh Government can help end the cycle of unequal access to post for those who need it most. Citizens Advice recommends an ‘Address & Collect’ service, which would provide a safe place for people to collect their letters, and a secure address to use with essential services. We think the Welsh Government should champion an ‘Address & Collect’ pilot, and our recent research tells us that the Welsh public agree.

Here’s why this is important:

1. Post is an essential service in Wales

3 in 4 people in Wales say post is important for managing some aspects of their daily lives. We agree — our previous research found that post is essential for:

• Accessing services: 62% of people in Wales say post is important for engaging with key services.
• Managing finances: Nearly half of people in Wales say post is important for managing their finances. People on low incomes rely on post the most for their finances.
• Staying connected: 47% of people in Wales say that letters are important for keeping in touch with their family and friends.

Post enables people to stay connected and stay afloat, and so does access to a secure address. Since 2010, 12% of people in the UK were unable to access certain services because they lacked a fixed address to use.

2. The issue impacts marginalised people

We found that people struggle to access their post for a few reasons: they have no fixed address, they move around a lot, or their post is intercepted.

This means that a lack of access to post disproportionately affects those in unsafe, precarious or non-traditional living situations. We found that in the UK, already marginalised groups are most likely to struggle to access their post:

• 54% of domestic abuse survivors
• 80% of people who have slept rough
• 69% of people who’ve lived in temporary accommodation
• 82% of people in the Gypsy and Traveller community

The pandemic has made the situation even more urgent. Wales has seen an increased demand for domestic abuse services since the first lockdown, and many people still face insecure housing, despite eviction and street homelessness protections in place.

3. Missing post can have severe consequences

Not having a secure address or being able to receive letters can severely impact people’s daily lives. This can exacerbate existing inequalities and prevent people from accessing the services they need when they need them.

We’ve heard from homeless people who’ve missed out on housing due to missed letters, survivors of domestic abuse who can’t access support because their letters have been hidden from them, and people who’ve missed jobcentre appointments or been unable to register with support services.

“I have experienced homelessness myself and it is very difficult to access help without a postal address, I wasn’t able to apply for jobs etc without a postal address and so i couldn’t get out of my situation easily” — Alex

Half of the Welsh public think that more should be done to help domestic abuse survivors and homeless people in Wales. Providing a solution to post insecurity would be a lifeline.

What can the Welsh government do to help?

Citizens Advice propose a publicly-funded ‘Address & Collect’ service run from the safety of local post offices. Comparable to a PO box, this would provide people in Wales with a much-needed reliable place to collect their letters, as well as a personal address which can be used for key services like banks and GPs.

3 in 4 people in Wales support the development of a publicly funded ‘Address & Collect’ service.

4 in 5 people in Wales say the Post Office is a trusted brand.

The Welsh Government should champion this cause by investing in a pilot of the ‘Address & Collect’ service across some post offices in Wales. Having access to post and essential services will be crucial for coronavirus recovery, and for tackling existing inequalities across Wales.