Submit Workplace Seize redress scheme ‘went down like lead balloon’ and is ‘discriminatory’
A former subpostmaster who suffered by the hands of the Submit Workplace’s defective Seize accounting software program has mentioned the introduced compensation scheme “discriminates” towards claimants.
The scheme is providing preliminary redress funds of £10,000, with last award bands as much as £300,000, to subpostmasters who suffered because of the Seize software program’s flaws, with “distinctive instances” receiving funds above the higher restrict.
The scheme, not like the Submit Workplace Horizon redress schemes, solely permits one attraction.
Former subpostmaster Lee Bowerman, who misplaced his enterprise because of shortfalls skilled whereas utilizing Seize, accused the federal government of discriminating towards Seize customers in contrast with those that suffered by the hands of the Horizon system. “The place did they get the determine of £300,000 from? It doesn’t even scratch the floor of my losses,” he mentioned.
“Additionally, we get one attraction, which is unfair – you’ll be able to’t deny alternatives for additional alternatives to problem affords as a result of it has been confirmed with the Horizon schemes that those that appealed bought elevated funds.”
Steve Marston, who attended a gathering with Submit Workplace minister Blair McDougall together with Bowerman and different former subpostmasters, mentioned “the announcement went down like a lead balloon”.
He requested: “What are distinctive circumstances? The federal government ought to make this clear.”
Division of Enterprise and Commerce
Laptop Weekly requested the Division of Enterprise and Commerce what the distinctive circumstances have been, and the spokesperson mentioned the division would get again to us.
Marston was convicted of economic crime in 1997 because of an unexplained shortfall in his department in Bury, Lancashire.
He was prosecuted for theft and false accounting, following an unexplained shortfall of practically £80,000. Marston mentioned he had by no means had any issues utilizing the paper-based accounting system, however that modified when his department, which he ran from 1973, started utilizing the Seize system.
The Legal Courts Evaluate Fee (CCRC) is at the moment reviewing his attraction towards the conviction, together with about 30 different Seize-based instances. The compensation scheme just isn’t open to these with legal convictions, however they will attraction towards convictions via the CCRC.
The Seize redress scheme will probably be examined on 150 claimants earlier than being totally rolled out to all people who have been affected. The federal government believes there will probably be as much as 1,500 claims.
Many Seize customers suffered in the identical manner as customers of Horizon, the software program that adopted.
Unfair attraction rule
Marston and Bowerman each criticised the rule that subpostmasters can solely attraction as soon as. Claimants to Horizon schemes have had the chance to attraction a number of occasions, and in lots of instances, redress funds elevated considerably after a number of appeals.
Jo Hamilton, who was wrongly convicted because of shortfalls brought on by the Horizon system, mentioned: “Right here we go once more, the federal government making an attempt to minimise the funds. Seize victims are the identical as Horizon victims. They misplaced companies and houses identical to us and suffered in the identical manner; the federal government ought to deal with them the identical manner in the case of redress.”
The controversy over the Seize system emerged in January 2024, after ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Submit Workplace instructed the tales of subpostmasters who had suffered by the hands of the Horizon system. It was the identical month that Kevan Jones, an MP on the time who now sits within the Home of Lords, highlighted proof of injustices triggered by Seize losses.
Whereas Horizon, which was launched in 2000, was a big enterprise system utilized by all subpostmasters, Seize was floppy disk-based and utilized by a few thousand individuals within the mid-Nineteen Nineties.
However those that skilled unexplained shortfalls on the 2 completely different programs have been handled the identical manner. They have been made chargeable for shortfalls and needed to make them good. Folks have been made bankrupt, and a few have been prosecuted and jailed.
‘Affordable probability’
In September 2024, an impartial investigation by forensic consultants at Kroll discovered there was a “affordable probability” the Submit Workplace Seize software program had brought on accounting losses. However regardless of this, Seize customers should not permitted to affix present compensation schemes aimed toward Horizon victims, which in some instances don’t have any limits on what will be paid out.
In response to the newest authorities figures, the Horizon redress schemes have paid out over £1.2bn to greater than 9,000 victims.
McDougall mentioned: “After over twenty years of preventing for justice, postmasters and their households will lastly obtain recognition and recompense for the lives and livelihoods that Seize destroyed.”
He thanked victims who helped design the scheme, however Marston mentioned no one was proven the applying kind for redress earlier than the scheme’s launch. “They produced an software kind with out truly consulting any of the victims themselves … I don’t suppose that’s very democratic or honest,” he mentioned.
However both Marston and Bowerman mentioned they weren’t correctly consulted. Bowerman mentioned “this got here out of the blue for us”.
Laptop Weekly first uncovered the Submit Workplace scandal in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered because of Horizon accounting software program.
Final week, the Submit Workplace was handed a £2m contract to look its personal information for info to determine Seize customers and discover proof of unexplained shortfalls.
Learn: Every thing you want to know concerning the Submit Workplace scandal.
