Last week we saw the hero of the Post Office Scandal campaign for justice Alan Bates, offered compensation from one of the schemes ran by the government. He described the offer as derisory, offensive and cruel. When someone has suffered for over 20 years and you prepare a claim alongside lawyers, expert forensic accountants which are supported by tax records, business accounts and disclosure and then they offer you 1/6th of what the claim value is worth it is nothing more than a insult. All the statements and rhetoric coming out of the government, the Minister and even the Prime Minister is that they understand the scale of the injustice and they will pay full and fair compensation. The principle aim of the scheme is to restore people back to the position they would have been in had the scandal not happened. As you can see by just Alan's offer that is simply not happening, I had a similar offer back on the 28th December last year, less than 15% of the claim total. As I described on BBC Breakfast on Friday morning it appears they have no intention of doing what they have promised and all the warm words are just that empty words. We can only judge them on their actions. Right now they are using every form of PR to the media, the public, trying to dispel MP anger and frustration to say they are doing all they can and could not be working any faster.
On Friday morning a car picked me up at 06:10am to go to ITV. I went on GMB with the gentleman Lee Castleton (not the nasty chap he was called by a Fujitsu employee at the Inquiry) to be interviewed by Robbie Rinder and Charlotte Hawkins, just after 07:25am. I then had to race outside to get setup to appear live on BBC Breakfast with Charlie Stayt and Nina Warhurst for 08:10am and straight afterwards back inside to be live on Talk TV at 08:45am. Here is a link to my BBC Breakfast interview on Friday morning :-
https://x.com/chrish9070/status/1753572480420061218?s=20
I also did a piece a few weeks back on Sky News, GB News, Channel 4 and a piece in the Daily Mail which you can see here :-
https://x.com/chrish9070/status/1751308600356511984?s=20
https://x.com/chrish9070/status/1751548979739804106?s=20
https://x.com/chrish9070/status/1752808679961759928?s=20
Here are some of the articles about Alans offer :-
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/alan-bates-post-office-compensation-horizon-it-wbhdr6tk8
Upon completing the interviews on Friday, 3 within under an hour on Breakfast primetime the Minister Kevin Hollinake had reached out personally to want to try resolve the case. We exchanged several messages where I pushed back from my own case and wanted to resolve the unfairness and the fundamental flaws that existed across all the schemes. I agreed I would write an email that night to explain all the problems as I saw them with all the experience I have working on these schemes on the ground. At 04:17am I had finished and sent the email, it was many pages long so I knew the Minister would be completely up to speed on the situation. Being early hours of a Saturday morning I wasn't expecting a response until the following week. However once I woke up there was a reply received at 05:57am that addressed every point I had made, all credit to the Minister for doing so and I hope he is true to his word to resolve this.
I am back in London this week to meet my MP Kate Osborne, Martin Howe of Howe & Co solicitors who represent over 70% of the Postmasters in the public Inquiry, attend a meeting with Marion Fellows, Kate Osborne, Sean Hudson of the CWU Postmasters branch and the former now retired CWU Postmaster Mark Baker. There are so many issues with the Post Office to resolve. The past issues are like an anchor round its neck and they are damaging the business on a daily basis, sinking like the Titanic. Customer confidence is low, Postmaster confidence is even worse and there is no bright future insight unless there is a massive change of direction. What is likely needed is an injection of emergency funding to restore Postmaster fixed pay while a cross party working group is setup, involving outside input from those that have both the expertise and the vision for a successful Post Office future. It is likely however aswell it will need a complete re-brand and name change so that it can be set on a whole new course. All of these things cannot happen whilst the same people are in charge of the business. The culture has not changed anywhere near enough for this business to move forward. Recently the Horizon Compensation Advisory Board (HCAB) chair Professor Chris Hodges wrote back to Nick Read as CEO of the Post Office with the following response :-
Dear Nick Read,
Thank you for your response. I am afraid that (as qualified lawyers some with extensive experience of practice) my colleagues on the Advisory Board and I remain deeply unconvinced by the substance of what you say on legal issues. However since the matter is now in the hands of the SRA, we will refrain from commenting for the moment, save to say one thing. We continue to hear stories that your former Sub-Postmasters and Mistresses are confused, intimidated and hurt by the behaviour of the Post Office and its lawyers in negotiating settlements generally and in continued use of legalistic terminology. This is especially true for the significant number who remain deeply traumatised, and who do not understand the practice of terminology of what they see as an aggressive approach to settling claims. This is irrespective of whether the language or behaviour may or may not be technically permissible, and irrespective of the fact that they may have legal representation. Your reliance of legal argument and legal terminology similarly does not impress us. We do not perceive demonstration of behaviour that is anything like a sympathetic understanding towards the people your organisation has harmed. We suggest that this should give you cause for deep concern.
That is utter damning of the current management in the Post Office and its continued culture of oppressive and intimidating behaviour that Postmasters are all very used to and that the public has witnessed on an ongoing basis in the Public Inquiry. I urge you to watch back the couple of hours worth of closing submissions last Friday 2nd February that wrapped up phase 4. It was a devastating take down of the behaviour of all those involved including Post Office, Fujitsu and Government. The main submissions were by Tim Moloney KC instructed by Hudgell's solicitors and Sam Stein KC instructed by Howe & Co solicitors. Have a watch here when you have some spare time :-
https://youtu.be/WFhshK1yKE8?si=EMyIcZpPB--9cJTR
There have been many comments of other Postmasters too traumatised to come forward, maybe they have signed NDA's, maybe they were only employees and not Postmasters, maybe they used the previous system prior to Horizon called 'Capture'. There is extensive support available so please feel free to reach out and I will support in the best way possible with an extensive knowledge of the scandal. I have connections across Parliament, the Minister, Advisory Board, Inquiry and the Law Firms.
chrishead1@icloud.com in full confidence
07482787593 (Whatsapp Only number setup for the Post Office Scandal)