The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) has called on the government to take further action against the Post Office for the Horizon scandal including the removal of the board.
In a letter to postal services minister Kevin Hollinrake Hollinrake concerning the Horizon, the NFSP expressed “concerns about the overall governance of the Post Office by successive Governments who had ultimate responsibility over the years”.
Citing the impact of the Horizon roll-out on subpostmasters, the NFSP has called for the governance of the Post Office to be “radically altered”, and for Post Office Ltd to be placed in voluntary receivership with the board “immediately removed”, and all senior management involved and who benefitted from the highly unethical and controversial Transformation Incentive Scheme, to be removed so that a new governance structure can be implemented.
The NFSP is also urging that an Oversight Committee consisting of Government, the three recognised representative bodies of those who have a contract with Post Office Ltd, plus consumer groups due to the Post Office’s social purpose to be created.
It also called for the fovernment to remove any delay or obstacle that could prevent the victims of the past from having their reputations and losses restored, including consequential losses.
In response to the NFSP’s letter, a Post Office spokesperson said: “Mr Bates vs The Post Office has played a vital role in further highlighting the appalling fallout from the Horizon Scandal. Importantly, the TV drama has encouraged more Postmasters to come forward as we hoped that it would. The government has intervened to expedite further the exoneration of postmasters wrongly accused and compensation.
“In 2019, the current management settled the long running Horizon litigation and made a sincere apology. Since then, Post Office has been actively supportive of efforts to compensate postmasters fairly and quickly, and determined in its wish to help right the wrongs of the past. As part of this process, in 2021 Post Office changed its governance structure, appointing two serving Postmasters to the Board, and is making progress on its commitment to replace the upgraded Horizon system with a new and appropriately funded modern solution.
“While progress has been made with £138m paid in compensation, there remains much work to do to ensure that full justice and compensation are delivered, and to make sure that this can never happen again. The Horizon IT Inquiry is far reaching, in depth, and we hope will provide many of the answers as to how and why this scandal happened.
“Post Office fully supports the Inquiry and is responding as transparently and quickly as possible. We reiterate our heartfelt apology for the appalling treatment of Postmasters and remain determined to support them, as well as our current Postmasters, who are the lifeblood of their communities.”
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