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Post Office victims tell Starmer ‘get your act together’

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Victims of the Post Office Horizon IT scandal have urged the prime minister to “get his act together” and sort out compensation for sub-postmasters still fighting for it to be made whole.

Former sub-postmasters told the BBC they are waiting for final settlements to be agreed, years after hundreds of them were accused of stealing money, later discovered to be the fault of an accounting system.

A report from an official inquiry found that people who sought compensation had “formidable difficulties” and the entire scandal has had a “disastrous” impact on those wrongly accused.

Sally Stringer said Keir Starmer must tell MPs to see sub-postmasters in their constituencies and “get it sorted out”.

Appearing on BBC Breakfast with fellow Post Office victims, Ms Stringer told Starmer: “We’re all getting old and decrepit and your time in office is dependent, frankly, on how you sort this one out.

“Get your act together,” she said.

Ms Stringer, who ran Beckford Post Office for 20 years, agreed with other former sub-postmasters that the compensation schemes feel designed to make them give up.

Maria Lockwood, who operated a Post Office in Huddersfield, said compensation for victims could have been settled “a long time ago”, but instead it is a “cruel, cruel” process.

Tracy Felstead, who went to prison when she was 19 years old, said she had now been asked three times for a medical report.

“How many more medical reports do you need to prove what’s happened? They know what’s happened to us,” she said.

Former judge Sir Wyn Williams has been chairing a long-running inquiry into the Horizon scandal, and on Tuesday released a report looking at the impact on victims, as well as the fairness and speed of the compensation process.

Sir Wyn criticised the “formidable difficulties” around the delivery of financial redress for victims, which is currently organised around three different schemes.

He recommended:

  • A mechanism to deliver redress “to persons who have been wronged by public bodies” should be established
  • Free legal advice should be extended to claimants on one of the schemes – the Horizon Shortfall Scheme.
  • Close family members of people who have “been most adversely affected by Horizon” should be compensated

Sir Wyn estimates that there are currently 10,000 eligible claimants in three compensation schemes, and that number is likely to rise by at least hundreds, if not more.

Scott Darlington, who was sub-postmaster of Alderley Edge Post Office, was doubtful that the government will act on the report.

“Will they take any of the recommendations? They’re not obliged to, and their track record shows that they’ve tried to avoid things that they have to do.”

The first volume of the report, published after a long-running inquiry into the scandal, set out in full the devastating impact on people’s lives.

At least 59 people told the inquiry they had contemplated suicide at various points, of whom 10 attempted to take their own lives, some on more than one occasion.

Families of victims said at least 13 more people had killed themselves.

Many victims suffered psychiatric and psychological difficulties with some detailing how they had abused alcohol due to the stress of the situation, while a number said they couldn’t sleep at night without drinking first.

One postmistress said she “went to rehab for eight months as the Post Office had turned her to drink to cope with the losses”.



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New government code of practice aims to stop unfair parking charges

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Caroline Lowbridge

BBC News, East Midlands

BBC Rosey Hudson standing by a car park paying machine in Copeland Street, DerbyBBC

Rosey Hudson was asked to pay £1,906 after taking too long to pay at this car park in Derby

The government has launched a consultation on a new code to stop people being “unfairly penalised” by private car park operators.

It follows concerns raised by drivers including Rosey Hudson, who was asked to pay £1,906 for taking more than five minutes to pay in a car park in Derby.

The government said the new Private Parking Code of Practice “aims to create a fairer, more transparent private parking system”.

The British Parking Association, one of two trade associations that oversees the industry, has said it will work closely with the government throughout the consultation.

Local growth minister and Nottingham North and Kimberley MP Alex Norris said: “From shopping on your local high street to visiting a loved one in hospital, parking is part of everyday life. But too many people are being unfairly penalised.

“That’s why our code will tackle misleading tactics and confusing processes, bringing vital oversight and transparency to raise standards across the board.”

The previous government published a code of practice in February 2022 and it was due to come into effect by the end of 2023.

However, it was withdrawn following legal challenges launched by several parking firms.

This meant the private parking sector has been left to regulate itself, through two accredited trade associations called the British Parking Association (BPA) and International Parking Community (IPC).

Derby North MP calls Excel Parking fine a “five-minute rip-off charge”

Car park operators, which are members of these associations, can obtain drivers’ names and addresses from the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) and issue parking charge notices (PCNs) for allegedly breaching terms and conditions.

This has led to drivers being asked to pay hundreds and sometimes thousands of pounds for infringements such as taking too long to pay, or keying in their vehicle registration plates incorrectly.

The government said its new measures would prevent charges caused by issues such as payment machine errors, accidental typos, or poor mobile signal.

However, the AA believes the government’s proposals do not go far enough.

Jack Cousens, head of roads policy, said: “This long-awaited consultation will not please drivers and suggests that government is bending the knee to the private parking industry.”

His concerns include a £100 cap on parking charges, which is higher than the £50 previously proposed.

“We urge all drivers to complete the consultation and submit their views and experiences when dealing with private parking firms,” he said.

Hannah Robinson Hannah Robinson sitting in her carHannah Robinson

Hannah Robinson was asked to pay £11,390 because poor mobile signal meant she took too long to pay

Statistics published by the DVLA suggest private car park operators are issuing more PCNs than ever before.

They paid the DVLA for 12.8 million keeper details in the last financial year, which is a 673% increase since 2012.

“While this partly reflects more parking spaces, the current system lacks independent oversight and sufficient transparency,” the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government said.

“At present, operators can avoid sanctions for poor practice, leaving motorists vulnerable to unfair or incorrect charges. The new compliance framework will ensure accountability.”

Under the proposals, operators that breach the code may stop being able to get drivers’ details from the DVLA.

Drivers have been sent £100 PCNs for not entering their registration numbers in full

The eight-week consultation is due to close on 5 September and people can give their views online.

The BPA said it would work closely with the government throughout the consultation, but said the new code must allow for “proper enforcement”.

“Without proper enforcement, parking quickly becomes a free-for-all, with some people taking advantage at the expense of others,” it said in a statement.

“When spaces are misused, it’s often at the expense of those who need them most, such as disabled people, parents with young children and local residents.

“We believe parking systems must strike a balance: they should deter selfish and anti-social behaviour, but they must also be fair, proportionate, and transparent.”



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National Trust to cut 550 jobs after Budget pushes up costs

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The National Trust has announced plans to cut 6% of its current workforce, about 550 jobs, partly blaming an inflated pay bill and tax rises introduced by Chancellor Rachel Reeves.

The heritage and conservation charity said it was under “sustained cost pressures beyond our control”.

These include the increase in National Insurance contributions by employers and the National Living Wage rise from April, which the National Trust said had driven up wage costs by more than £10m a year.

The cost-cutting measures are part of a plan to find £26m worth of savings.

“Although demand and support for our work are growing with yearly increases in visitors and donations; increasing costs are outstripping this growth,” the charity said in a statement.

“Pay is the biggest part of our costs, and the recent employer’s National Insurance increase and National Living Wage rise added more than £10m to our annual wage bill.”

A 45-day consultation period with staff began on Thursday and the Trust – which currently has about 9,500 employees – said it was working with the Prospect union “to minimise compulsory redundancies”.

Prospect said though cost pressures were partly to blame, “management decisions” also contributed to the Trust’s financial woes.

The union’s deputy general secretary, Steve Thomas, said “once again it is our member who will have to pay the price”.

“Our members are custodians of the country’s cultural, historic and natural heritage – cuts of this scale risk losing institutional knowledge and skills which are vital to that mission,” he said.

The Trust is running a voluntary redundancy scheme, and is expecting that to significantly reduce compulsory redundancies, a spokeswoman said.

The job cuts will affect all staff from management down, and everyone whose job is at risk will be offered a suitable alternative where available, the spokeswoman added.

Following consultations, which will finish in mid-to-late August, the cuts will be made in the autumn.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves announced the rise in National Insurance contributions by employers in last October’s Budget.

But the move led to strong criticism from many firms, with retailers warning that High Street job losses would be “inevitable” when coupled with other cost increases.

The hike in employer NICs is forecast to raise £25bn in revenues by the end of the parliament.



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GPTBots.ai’s Business AI Agent Solutions at The MarTech Summit Hong Kong

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As enterprises worldwide race to adopt AI, GPTBots.ai made its mark at The MarTech Summit Hong Kong, Asia’s premier marketing technology conference attended by world-renowned brands such as JPMorgan, Yahoo, Nike, and DBS, alongside leading Hong Kong enterprises including Cathay Pacific, Hong Kong Disneyland, and The Hong Kong Jockey Club.

With 85% of enterprises prioritizing AI adoption in 2024 (Gartner), yet struggling with implementation gaps, GPTBots.ai demonstrated how its no-code AI Agent platform turns complex AI concepts into deployable solutions—without coding or data science teams.

Spotlight: Real-World AI in Action
At the summit, GPTBots.ai engaged with forward-thinking organizations, including:
A Top Hong Kong University: Their admissions team explored AI-powered chatbots to streamline student inquiries and application processes, aiming to:

  • Automate 80% of FAQs (e.g., program requirements, deadlines).
  • Guide applicants through form-filling with smart error detection.
  • Free staff to focus on students’ in-depth support.

A Leading Hong Kong Airline: Their tech team discussed internal efficiency AI Agents for:

  • AI search to make enterprise knowledge instantly accessible and empower every role.
  • Reducing IT helpdesk tickets by 50% via self-service troubleshooting.

Why GPTBots.ai Stood Out

  • Enterprise-Ready: Built to adapt to your business, no matter the size or complexity.
  • Proven at Scale: Powers AI Agents for financial services, healthcare, and retail giants.
  • End-to-End Capabilities: From strategy to deployment, we manage every step of your AI journey.

“The gap isn’t AI potential—it’s practical adoption,” said Tanya Quan, Marketing Director at GPTBots.ai. “We’re helping enterprises skip the lab and go straight to ROI.”

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