Post Office System failure Leaves Subpostmasters Uncompensated, Fuels Ongoing Horizon Concerns
A recent system-wide outage at the Post Office has left subpostmasters facing financial losses, while the association has refused too offer compensation, citing a “limited” impact. This incident reignites concerns surrounding the reliability of the Horizon system, a source of meaningful distress and injustice for postmasters for over a decade.
The disruption, caused by a “misconfigured command during a routine server restart procedure,” prevented branches from processing transactions.Customers were turned away, perhaps impacting future business, and delivery partners like Amazon, DPD, and Evri may seek alternative solutions. Subpostmasters were also forced to pay staff despite their inability to work.
Despite these tangible consequences,the Post Office stated in a memo to its network that it would not provide financial relief. “Following an inquiry… we found the impact was limited and, in this very way, we will not be able to provide compensation,” the memo read.
Lost Revenue and a System Under Scrutiny
The impact, however, feels far from limited for those on the front lines. Richard Trinder, a subpostmaster overseeing three branches in Yorkshire and Derbyshire and a member of the Voice of the Postmaster campaign group, reported losing hundreds of pounds in wages during the downtime.
“Business is lost when partners and customers go elsewhere,” Trinder explained. “For example, if you are offering Amazon delivery collection and you are down, they will go elsewhere and might never come back.”
This latest incident underscores the precarious position of subpostmasters, who have no choice but to rely on the Fujitsu-supplied Horizon system. While Fujitsu is set to lose its contract in march of next year, the system itself will remain in use for years to come, albeit managed by a different supplier.
The Lingering Shadow of the Post Office Scandal
The ongoing issues with Horizon are inextricably linked to the devastating Post Office scandal – a miscarriage of justice affecting hundreds of subpostmasters wrongly accused of theft and fraud due to errors within the system.Computer Weekly first exposed these issues in 2009, initiating a long and arduous journey towards accountability.
Currently, specialist investigation firm Kroll is reviewing the integrity of the Horizon system’s data and discrepancy identification processes. This investigation follows a September 2024 report from the Post Office scandal public inquiry,which raised serious concerns about the current version of the software.
A crucial question remains: will Kroll’s review encompass this recent outage? The Post Office has yet to respond to inquiries on this matter.
Moving Forward: Accountability and a New System
The Post Office has apologized for the disruption and claims to have implemented “network-wide amendments” to mitigate future issues, including overriding cash declaration failures from the day of the outage. They also stated they will continue working with Fujitsu to enhance system controls.However, the organization declined to comment on whether Fujitsu will face any charges related to the ongoing problems with Horizon.
This latest incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for a robust, reliable, and transparent system for the Post Office network. The future of the Post Office, and the livelihoods of its subpostmasters, depend on it.
Resources:
Voice of the Postmaster: https://votp.org.uk/
Computer Weekly – Post Office Horizon Scandal Explained: https://www.computerweekly.com/feature/Post-Office-Horizon-scandal-explained-everything-you-need-to-know
computer Weekly – Post office Performs Costly U-Turn: https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366624021/post-Office-performs-costly-30-year-U-turn-on-Horizon
Computer Weekly – Kroll Reviewing horizon Integrity: [https://www.computerweekly.com/news/366621280/Kroll-reviewing-Post-Office-Horizons-current-integrity-and-discrepancy-identification