Sir Alan Bates, who led the 20-year campaign for justice for post office operators over the Horizon scandal, has revealed he has been handed a “take it or leave it” compensation offer of less than half his original claim.
The 70-year-old, who was knighted last year, has accused the government of presiding over a “quasi-kangaroo court” system for the compensation.
More than 900 post office operators were convicted of offences including fraud, false accounting and theft between 1999 and 2015 after the faulty Horizon IT system falsely showed that money was missing in branch accounts. The convictions were overturned by parliament last year.
Many are still awaiting damages despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000 payouts.
Bates has also accused the Department for Business and Trade, which administers the compensation schemes, of reneging on assurances given when they were set up and told the Sunday Times a promise they would be “non-legalistic” had turned out to be “worthless”.
He said he was given a final “take it or leave it” offer, which amounted to 49.2% of his original claim after appealing and being referred to the scheme’s independent reviewer, Sir Ross Cranston.
The campaigner is now calling for the creation of an independent body that would administer compensation schemes for public sector scandals but cautioned: “I can already hear the sharpening of goose quills across Whitehall as the civil service prepares to snow politicians under with reasons it would not work.”
He added: “The sub-postmaster compensation schemes have been turned into quasi-kangaroo courts in which the Department for Business and Trade sits in judgment of the claims and alters the goalposts as and when it chooses.
“Claims are, and have been, knocked back on the basis that legally you would not be able to make them, or that the parameters of the scheme do not extend to certain items.”
The group litigation order (GLO) scheme was set up to achieve redress for the 555 claimants who took the Post Office to the high court between 2017 and 2019.
Under the GLO, claimants can take a fixed sum of £75,000 or seek their own settlement.
If there are disputes in individual cases, they are referred to an independent panel for review.
Post office operators can also seek a final view from Cranston, a former high court judge, if they believe the panel has got it wrong.
A Department for Business and Trade spokesperson said: “We pay tribute to all the postmasters who have suffered from this scandal, including Sir Alan for his tireless campaign for justice, and we have quadrupled the total amount paid to postmasters since entering government.
“We recognise there will be an absence of evidence given the length of time that has passed, and we therefore aim to give the benefit of the doubt to postmasters as far as possible. Anyone unhappy with their offer can have their case reviewed by a panel of experts, which is independent of the government.”
Earlier this week, it emerged that hundreds of former post office operators will be compensated by the Post Office after it accidentally leaked their names and addresses in June 2024.
The Post Office said individual payouts will be capped at £5,000, although higher claims may still be pursued.
