'Please help' – elderly residents' plea after rural services decline

Helen Morgan MP has said residents living in rural areas are being cut off from essential services and towns and villages are suffering from a “managed decline”.

Helen said a lack of reliable postal and banking services, poor public transport and patchy mobile phone signal were leaving vulnerable people isolated.

Speaking in a Parliamentary debate on rural postal services, Helen highlighted the story of 88-year-old Jean, from Weston Rhyn, who wrote to the MP to say she felt “completely isolated” in not being able to even buy a stamp or get cash, and asked the MP for help.

Helen said: “These cuts have a grave impact on people’s lives and wellbeing. How can we justify leaving vulnerable people isolated in this way in 2026?”

Helen’s speech followed a meeting on Tuesday (3rd February) with Royal Mail’s director of operations in charge of the much-criticised postal deliveries across the region.

Helen has long called for improvements since hearing from residents before Christmas, as well as visited sorting offices and spoken to delivery workers.

A successful campaign led by Helen also saw the Oswestry Post Office saved after threats of closure.

Helen said: “There was an acceptance that service standards were below where they should be, and an apology.

“I was told that senior business managers are involved to try to improve services in North Shropshire, with extra recruitment and new rounds created to reduce the burden on existing delivery staff.

“I will be meeting them again in six weeks to check what progress has been made.”

Helen said a reliable post service, supported by Post Office branches that provide basic services such as banking, was essential, and that solutions such as online banking were “no good if you live in a village where you can’t get a mobile signal and there’s no full fibre”.

Speaking after the debate, Helen said: “Wherever you look – whether it’s the postal service, banking, public transport, mobile phone coverage or internet connectivity – people in rural areas have been continually disadvantaged by successive Governments.

“This managed decline has got to stop – rural services need a significant shot in the arm if we’re to see any signs of improvement.”