Because the Submit Workplace sought to reclaim discrepancies in its funds, subpostmasters had been compelled to pay 1000’s out of their very own pockets to steadiness their books. Others had been jailed, misplaced their properties, and needed to pay hefty authorized charges.
The 2024 ITV drama Mr Bates vs The Submit Workplace introduced this scandal again into the highlight, resulting in mounting public requires accountability and compensation for the households impacted.
Regardless of current efforts to compensate these impacted, the injury has been long-lasting and life-changing for a lot of of these affected by the scandal.
In response, the UK authorities has stated it “will present redress for shut members of the family of these postmasters most adversely affected by the scandal.”
Gareth Thomas, Submit Workplace Minister, stated: “We mustn’t ever lose sight of the Horizon Scandal’s human influence on postmasters and their households, which the Inquiry has highlighted so effectively.”
Right here’s all the things you must know in regards to the ongoing compensation progress.
Former subpostmaster Alan Bates (centre) outdoors the Excessive Court docket in London in March 2019
PA Archive
What number of convictions had been there?
Between 1999 and 2015, the Submit Workplace convicted 700 subpostmasters who it believed could possibly be linked to Horizon techniques. There have been 983 instances, together with these not prosecuted by the Submit Workplace.
Since 2021, 101 of these convictions had been overturned by the appeals courtroom, and an additional 77 instances had been referred to the courts, pending the potential of being overturned. Fifty-five convictions have been upheld.
Then, in 2024, following outcry over the ITV drama, a legislation was launched to quash the a whole lot of excellent convictions attributable to the Submit Workplace Scandal. In line with the UK authorities web site, 594 individuals have had not less than one conviction quashed as of March 2025.
Mr Bates vs The Submit Workplace was broadcast on ITV1 on 4 consecutive days from January 1, 2024
ITV
How many individuals wrongfully convicted have obtained compensation?
Greater than £1 billion has been paid out to wrongly convicted subpostmasters and people affected by the scandal to date, in line with a UK authorities announcement launched in June 2025.
The announcement claims that this payout was divided amongst greater than 7,300 claimants, though the current inquiry estimated that round 10,000 individuals had been eligible for compensation.
In the intervening time, there isn’t one common scheme that’s working in direction of this compensation.
In 2019, 555 subpostmasters took the Submit Workplace to the Excessive Court docket and had been awarded nearly £57m. Authorized charges swallowed a big proportion of this, and every individual was awarded solely £20,000. A subsequent Group litigation order scheme (GLOS) was arrange to make sure the subpostmasters had been pretty compensated.
The Horizon Shortfall Scheme was equally arrange for individuals who weren’t convicted however suffered appreciable monetary losses because of the Horizon IT system, in addition to the Overturned Convictions Scheme (OCS) and the Horizon Convictions Redress Scheme (HCRS).
This week, Sir Wyn Williams concluded that some claimants hadn’t obtained honest and full compensation over the ordeal.
“I’m persuaded that within the troublesome and substantial claims, on too many events, the Submit Workplace and its advisors have adopted an unnecessarily adversarial angle in direction of making preliminary provides which have had the impact of miserable the extent at which settlements have been achieved,” Sir Wyn wrote in his report.
Between 1999 and 2015, the Submit Workplace convicted 700 subpostmasters who it now believes could possibly be linked to Horizon techniques
PA Wire
Did Mr Bates obtain compensation?
Mr Bates was among the many 555 claimants who took the Submit Workplace to the Excessive Court docket, which means he was additionally eligible for round a £20,000 payout.
In January 2024, Mr Bates rejected an additional compensation supply proposed by the Authorities, calling it “offensive.”
He informed the Telegraph: “I’ll completely be turning this supply for monetary redress down.
“It’s only a horrible option to deal with human beings — and I’ve heard from a number of subpostmasters who’ve obtained equally derisory provides, whereas others are nonetheless ready.
“Allowing for my solicitors engaged forensic accountants to arrange my declare in accordance with established authorized rules, it now appears we’ve to spend hours and hours over weeks and months with Authorities-appointed legal professionals at who is aware of what value, simply to level out these authorized rules to them. However to them, it’d simply be a great earner.”
In Could 2025, Mr Bates was supplied a “take it or depart it” payout that was lower than 50% of his unique declare. He slammed the present compensation schemes as “quasi-kangaroo courts through which the Division for Enterprise and Commerce sits in judgment of the claims and alters the goalposts as and when it chooses.”
