The Post Office, once an iconic British brand has fallen from grace following the Horizon IT Scandal. With over 11,500 branches, it’s the largest retail franchise network in Europe, offering a variety of products – not just postal, but cash and banking, foreign exchange and government services. Post offices are also often an important social hub for communities, not to mention offering a chance to run a vital local business for people around the UK.
The Horizon system, developed by Fujitsu, was introduced in 1999 to help branches manage transactions, accounts and stocktaking. It has since been revealed as faulty, causing account shortfalls often initially blamed on those people running the branches (known as sub-postmasters and mistresses). As a result of the system’s errors, these workers were accused of fraud and theft, and wrongly prosecuted. A new ITV four-part drama has put a spotlight on the scandal, renewing pressure on the government Post Office to exonerate and compensate hundreds of former workers.
