Horizon IT system still causing problems for postmasters

Almost 7 successful 10 Post Office sub-postmasters person experienced an "unexplained discrepancy" connected the Horizon IT strategy since January 2020, a survey has revealed.

It suggests faults stay successful newer versions of the accountancy strategy inactive utilized by the Post Office, which has been astatine the bosom of 1 of the worst miscarriages of justness successful British ineligible history.

A canvass of sub-postmasters by YouGov recovered that astir each of those who had difficulties with Horizon reported shortfalls successful their accounts and astir resolved them by utilizing their branch's money.

An enquiry into the Post Office ungraded resumes connected Monday and volition absorption connected however the company, which is wholly owned by the government, operates today.

Between 1999 and 2015, much than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted aft faulty bundle called Horizon made it look similar wealth was missing from Post Office subdivision accounts.

Despite this, a mentation of the Horizon IT strategy is inactive successful usage successful UK Post Offices.

YouGov said it recovered that astir fractional of the sub-postmasters it spoke to were "dissatisfied with however the Horizon IT System presently operates", compared to 25% who were blessed with it.

It added: "The immense bulk - 92% - of sub-postmasters surveyed reported experiencing immoderate signifier of contented with the Horizon IT strategy successful the past 12 months."

"In my sentiment Horizon is inactive flawed I regularly person unexplained discrepancies often altering regular oregon manifesting astatine balance," 1 sub-postmaster YouGov.

The astir communal problems reported were surface freezes and nonaccomplishment of connection, portion much than fractional said they had experienced "unexplained discrepancies", and others mentioned seeing unexplained transactions.

YouGov was commissioned to transportation retired the probe by seat of the enquiry Sir Wyn William. It invited 6,532 existent sub-postmasters to instrumentality portion successful its survey betwixt 18 July and 15 August - 1,015 radical responded.

The BBC has contacted the Post Office for remark for a effect to the poll.

It besides held a 2nd survey regarding compensation payouts relating to the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS). It recovered astir fractional of HSS applicants surveyed were dissatisfied with the scheme.

Just nether fractional the sub-postmasters surveyed said they recovered the strategy hard to understand, portion immoderate 78% reported they had not received interaction from a compensation lawsuit assessor.

"Among those with an exertion outcome, determination was mostly precocious dissatisfaction with assorted elements of the offer," YouGov said.

"There was a consciousness that the process was excessively long, with a deficiency of transparency."

The HSS is for sub-postmasters who were not convicted, oregon portion of the Group Litigation Order (GLO) tribunal action, but who judge they experienced shortfalls due to the fact that of Horizon. This radical volition beryllium offered a fixed outgo of £75,000.

It is 1 of 3 compensation schemes disposable to much than 4,000 radical affected by the scandal. The different 2 are the GLO strategy for the 555 erstwhile sub-postmasters who won their radical lawsuit, and the Overturned Convictions Scheme.

Former sub-postmaster and campaigner Sir Alan Bates has deed retired astatine the magnitude of clip it is taking for victims of the Post Office Horizon IT ungraded to person fiscal redress, peculiarly successful narration to the GLO scheme.

Sir Alan accused government-employed "flim-flam artists" of dragging the process retired and burying the strategy successful bureaucracy.

Jerry Brown, a sub-postmaster who has been moving his subdivision successful Hadleigh, Suffolk, for much than 17 years, told the BBC portion helium was "hopeful" for change, helium believes the cognition of the Post Office towards sub-postmasters remains the same.

"We are ever astatine the bottommost of the pile," said Mr Brown, who is besides connected the enforcement committee of the Voice of the Postmaster radical and took portion successful the YouGov survey.

He added that executives helium has spoken to successful the past did not "seem to recognize oregon attraction however hard it is" to tally a branch.

He said it was "impossible" to marque immoderate wealth from moving a Post Office astatine the moment, with 3 members of unit on-site each the clip and different overheads similar concern rates and energy bills going up.

"Unless we person much income, we conscionable won't beryllium here," helium says, adding that helium believes the last signifier of the enquiry is crucial. "It's inactive not over."

Liam Byrne, the Labour MP who has been starring parliamentary hearings connected the scandal, said that redress claims indispensable beryllium processed overmuch much quickly.

Byrne besides rold the BBC that the enquiry indispensable face "big questions" astir civilization astatine the apical of the Post Office and the attraction of sub-postmasters.

The Post Office has said that it has already made efforts to amended civilization and its narration with sub-postmasters, but it acknowledges determination is much to beryllium done.

"The main quality contiguous is that we run with the mindset that we are moving successful concern with our postmasters erstwhile approaching immoderate issues," the institution said.