The head of the Post Office recently met with former subpostmasters to discuss the company’s future, and they delivered a clear message: without addressing financial compensation and cleaning house of those involved in the scandal, progress is impossible.
Jo Hamilton and Mark Kelly, both former subpostmasters and members of the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance (JFSA), found their meeting with acting CEO Neil Brocklehurst productive, but they didn’t hold back on their concerns. Hamilton, who appeared in ITV’s series about the Post Office scandal, felt encouraged by Brocklehurst’s openness to feedback, calling it a “huge step in the right direction.”
However, she warned that settling financial compensation for victims, especially the 300 subpostmasters yet to reach an agreement, is crucial by next March. “If they don’t prioritize this, the business can’t move on,” she stressed. Alongside financial redress, Hamilton emphasized the need to eradicate the toxic elements within the organization by dismissing staff connected to the scandal. She firmly stated that cleansing the culture is vital for the Post Office to have any chance of moving forward.
Hamilton, who had her wrongful conviction overturned in 2021 thanks to the landmark Hamilton and others vs Post Office case, mentioned that Brocklehurst wants to be judged on action, not words. “Let’s hope there’s a glimmer of hope here,” she added.
The Post Office spokesperson stated that Brocklehurst is regularly engaging with both former and current postmasters to gather insights and collaborate on a new deal for postmasters. But Sir Alan Bates, chair of the JFSA and a key campaigner for justice, noted he hasn’t been contacted by the Post Office or the government regarding its future. He echoed Hamilton’s call for comprehensive financial redress and the removal of implicated staff, arguing that anything else, including discussions on mutualisation, diverts attention from the core issues.
Bates also mentioned he’s waiting for a response from the Prime Minister about a letter he sent earlier this month, urging that if the government can’t wrap up financial compensation by March, it should appoint an independent entity to do so or risk facing legal action.
Kelly, who ran a Swansea branch before facing life-altering setbacks due to unexplained auditing discrepancies, welcomed the dialogue with postmasters but voiced skepticism about the Post Office learning lessons from its past. He flagged concerns about keeping individuals involved in the scandal in positions where they could still cause problems.
He also expressed worry about plans to replace the Horizon system with custom-built software instead of utilizing an off-the-shelf solution, fearing it might repeat past mistakes. The Post Office spokesperson indicated that a direct replacement of the Horizon system wouldn’t set a solid foundation for a new deal and stressed the importance of collaboration with the postmaster community on branch technology to ensure it meets their needs.
Earlier reports suggested the Post Office plans to abandon its in-house system development, opting for a third-party solution. The Post Office scandal first came to light in 2009 when Computer Weekly highlighted multiple cases of subpostmasters impacted by the flawed Horizon accounting software, leading to significant injustices.