A new survey has revealed that nearly 70% of Post Office sub-postmasters have encountered unexplained discrepancies with the Horizon IT system since January 2020, indicating ongoing issues with the software.
Horizon, at the center of a major legal scandal, has led to the wrongful prosecution of hundreds of sub-postmasters over the years. Despite updates, problems persist with the system still in use across the UK.
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The poll, conducted by YouGov, found that almost all sub-postmasters facing difficulties reported account shortfalls, often covering the losses themselves. The inquiry into the Post Office scandal is set to resume, focusing on the company’s current operations under government ownership.
The system, which led to more than 900 wrongful prosecutions between 1999 and 2015, is still active in branches today, despite its troubled past.
According to YouGov’s survey, nearly half of the respondents expressed dissatisfaction with the way the Horizon system currently functions, with 92% reporting issues in the past year. Common complaints include system freezes, lost connections, and unexplained discrepancies in transactions.
One sub-postmaster noted that the system’s flaws still lead to frequent, unpredictable discrepancies that often appear during daily balance checks.
The research was commissioned by Sir Wyn Williams, the chair of the ongoing inquiry, who invited over 6,500 sub-postmasters to participate in the survey, receiving over 1,000 responses.
The Post Office has yet to comment on the survey results, and another survey regarding compensation schemes showed that nearly half of applicants were unhappy with the process.
Many found the compensation scheme difficult to understand, and 78% reported a lack of communication from their case assessors.
The Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), one of three compensation programs, offers a fixed payout of £75,000 for those not convicted but who believe Horizon caused shortfalls.
Despite this, frustration remains high, with applicants citing lengthy delays and a lack of transparency.
Sir Alan Bates, a former sub-postmaster and long-time campaigner, criticized the government for delaying compensation payments, particularly through the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme, which is meant for those who successfully sued the Post Office. He accused the authorities of using bureaucratic tactics to stall progress.
Sub-postmaster Jerry Brown, who has run a Post Office branch in Hadleigh, Suffolk for 17 years, echoed similar frustrations.
While he hopes for change, he believes the Post Office’s treatment of sub-postmasters remains largely unchanged. Brown, who participated in the YouGov survey, said that running a branch has become financially untenable with rising costs and insufficient support, leaving sub-postmasters feeling undervalued.
He described the business as “impossible” to sustain with increasing overheads like business rates and energy bills.
Liam Byrne, a Labour MP leading parliamentary hearings on the scandal, stressed the need for quicker compensation processing and emphasized that the inquiry must address “big questions” about the Post Office’s leadership and its treatment of sub-postmasters.
The Post Office has acknowledged the need for further improvement in its relationship with sub-postmasters. The company claims to have made strides in reforming its culture, saying it now views itself as a partner to sub-postmasters when addressing issues, though it admits more work is needed.
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