Victims of the postal scandal will wait until the end of 2024 for improvements to the compensation system, otherwise the case “will be sent to court”, according to Sky News.
A newsletter sent by Sir Alan Bates to members of the Group Litigation Order (GLO) scheme states that “if nothing has greatly improved” in terms of redress, then a “specialist law firm” will be called.
The GLO scheme was set up for former deputy postmasters after they won their High Court battle against the Post Office in 2019.
Sir Alan Bates outlined his future plans in his newsletter. Photo: PA
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Sir Alan’s circular summarizes a recent victims’ meeting at which it was agreed that without improvements, a “deadline” or “end date” to the compensation system, another meeting would take place in mid-January.
He wrote: “At that time a specialist law firm will be invited to address the group on how we can quickly refer this whole matter to the courts for resolution.
“It could also involve the other programs as well as ours, and it would mean that we would have to raise funds again, but this time at the national level and I have no doubt that we could raise the necessary funds.”
The newsletter also noted that the “merits and drawbacks” of other “legal avenues” were discussed by members of the Justice for Sub-postmasters Alliance (JFSA).
At the meeting, it was stated that the “vast majority” of the more than 150 victims present were “still waiting or had not yet reached an agreement on their final settlement.”
Sir Alan has written to the Prime Minister twice in the past two months asking him to set a deadline of March 2025 for all GLO claims.
In his newsletter, Sir Alan said Sir Keir Starmer’s response “contained only the usual platitudes of the civil service which mean nothing and basically affirmed that it would continue as usual, that is to say as always, always as before.
“There may have been a change in the political party in power, but the civil service never changes, and we all know who is really in charge of government. »
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Sir Alan also outlined the “similarities” between the findings of the Parliamentary and Health Services Ombudsman (PHSO) on the Windrush compensation scheme and the problems faced by victims of the GLO scheme.
The PHSO found that the Home Office Scheme was making poor decisions and refusing payment to those who were entitled to it.
Sir Alan said that following a recent meeting with PHSO victims, they “may well have strong grounds to lodge a new complaint against the Department of Business and Commerce”.