Suffolk Sub-Postmasters Allege New Post Office Scandal Rivals Horizon in Scale

Sub-postmasters in Suffolk assert they were “bullied and blackmailed” as part of a second Post Office scandal, which they claim is “as big as Horizon”. Jerry Brown, 68, and Adrian Straatman, 63, have voiced strong criticism regarding the extensive “dire consequences” resulting from the Post Office’s Network Transformation (NT) project. The scheme, which commenced in 2012, introduced contract modifications that altered sub-postmasters’ remuneration to a per-transaction model, replacing their previous fixed salary. The National Federation of Sub Postmasters has since launched a campaign advocating for a comprehensive review of the project. The Department for Business and Trade has pledged to provide a response. During the implementation of the NT, sub-postmasters report they were informed that the Post Office would function as the “front office” for various new services. These services included the sale of train and cinema tickets, the issuance of fishing licences, the acceptance of speeding fine payments, and the distribution of Department for Work and Pension forms. It was suggested that, by completing a greater number of transactions, postmasters would subsequently generate increased income for themselves under the new framework. However, according to Mr. Brown, of Hadleigh Post Office, these new services largely failed to materialize, and many traditional offerings, alongside them, transitioned online. He stated, “We were promised lots of jam for losing the allocated monthly payment but they were telling their departments not to give it to us because it had to go online.” He added, “That has had an absolutely devastating effect on us and our income and caused horrendous problems for postmasters.” “My generated income has dropped by 30% compared to what it was in 2012 – in real terms that means it has halved with inflation, and that’s unsustainable.” He further commented, “I’m a pensioner and it’s my pension that is helping to keep the post office open – without that I don’t know where we’d be.” “We have been stripped of an income we should have always had – you are talking in the hundreds of thousands of pounds lost compared to what it would have been.” He concluded, “This is different, but in many ways it is as big a scandal as the Horizon scandal.” Mr. Straatman, who served as the sub-postmaster at the now-closed Yoxford Post Office, rejected the NT contract before moving into the hospitality sector. He said: “I could barely make a living as it was, and with it being commission-only it was going to be impossible for me to carry on with it, so we left the premises.” “My average income would have been an average of £160 a week [under the new contract] – it was a non-starter really.” He added, “It just didn’t make sense why postmasters were earning so little money in the first place – we were doing a service for the community as opposed to making a living.” He emphasized, “Postmasters need to be paid at least minimum wage. “If I was still doing it now I would have lost my house because it was a complete disaster for us financially.”” Officials at the Department for Business and Trade indicated their awareness of a campaign opposing the Network Transformation scheme. A spokesperson said: “We will respond to the National Federation of Sub Postmasters’ letter soon.”