Ministers explore handing Post Office ownership to sub-postmasters

Ministers explore handing Post Office ownership to sub-postmasters


Ministers are exploring plans at hand possession of the Put up Place of job to hundreds of sub-postmasters throughout the United Kingdom, assets have advised the BBC.

The proposal is in its early phases and is one of the into account.

The Area for Trade and Business has requested control consultancy BCG to discover the conceivable possession type, as first reported by way of Sky Information.

The trade secretary expects to obtain a document within the coming months, a central authority supply stated.

Sub-postmasters are accountable for the on a regular basis control of greater than 11,500 publish places of work throughout the United Kingdom.

In July, former trade secretary Sir Vince Cable advised the Post Office inquiry that he had sought after to “address the imbalance” between the Post Office and sub-postmasters by creating a “mutual structure”.

He stated he had raised a few of these problems with the upcoming Put up Place of job boss Paula Vennells, however the alternate “unfortunately never came to fruition”.

Rather, the Put up Place of job was once crack from the Royal Mail staff beneath Sir Vince’s guard and residue a government-owned corporate.

The connection between the Put up Place of job and the sub-postmasters has won usual consideration following the Horizon scandal.

Between 1999 and 2015, greater than 900 sub-postmasters had been wrongly prosecuted later the misguided Horizon IT accounting machine made it appear to be cash was once lacking from section accounts.

It’s been referred to as the United Kingdom’s maximum usual miscarriage of justice.

Loads of affected sub-postmasters took felony motion in opposition to the Put up Place of job in 2019, led by way of Sir Alan Bates – with some still waiting to be compensated.

An ITV drama in regards to the case in January sparked renewed population passion within the scandal.

The Metropolitan Police stated it was once investigating the Put up Place of job for possible fraud committed at the time.

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