The Post Office is moving forward with plans to hire a third party to examine the troubled Horizon computer system, especially as unexplained losses continue in branches.
During a recent inquiry into the Horizon scandal, Lorna Gratton, a civil servant on the Post Office board, discussed concerns over the reliability of the Horizon system. She mentioned that during a board meeting on November 5, the executive team started the process for an independent review of Horizon’s effectiveness.
For the past twenty years, many subpostmasters have faced wrongful convictions due to the flaws in this system. Even as the Post Office seeks to replace Horizon, there’s no clear timeline for when this will happen.
Gratton stated that the Post Office is engaging with the Voice of the Postmaster group and the National Federation of Subpostmasters about the review’s terms and how they can participate. She emphasized that this won’t be a simple sign-off; it will involve input throughout the process, with the results being made public.
Additionally, the Post Office plans to bring subpostmasters to its operations center in Chesterfield to show how discrepancies are handled transparently.
A recent survey through the public inquiry highlighted ongoing issues, revealing that 57% of current subpostmasters encounter unexplained shortfalls. Of those surveyed, 19% reported missing transactions, and 14% said they experienced transactions that simply disappeared. Many subpostmasters reported facing these issues regularly, with two-thirds experiencing problems at least once a month. Since January 2020, 69% have had discrepancies with the Horizon system.
Alarmingly, 75% admitted to using their own money to cover discrepancies, while nearly half expressed dissatisfaction with how these issues were resolved.
The inquiry has now reached its seventh and final phase, focusing on current practices and future recommendations.
The Horizon scandal first came to light in 2009, when Computer Weekly reported on a group of seven subpostmasters affected by the Horizon software, leading to what is now recognized as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in British history.