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Post Office brings in new IT chief as it awaits funding for Horizon replacement

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Post Office brings in new IT chief as it awaits funding for Horizon replacement

The Publish Workplace is bringing in a brand new expertise chief because it awaits further authorities funding for its troubled programme to switch the controversial Horizon IT system on the coronary heart of the scandal that noticed tons of of harmless subpostmasters prosecuted for phantom accounting losses.

The organisation’s chief transformation officer, Chris Brocklesby, is leaving on 6 September on the finish of his one-year contract, and shall be succeeded on an interim foundation by Andy Good, previously transformation director at Camelot, the corporate that ran the Nationwide Lottery till January 2024. Good begins on 23 August.

The Publish Workplace’s present interim chair, Nigel Railton, was beforehand chief govt of Camelot.

“Chris Brocklesby joined us on a one-year contract and in that point has helped reshape our expertise operate, offering a powerful basis for the work to switch Horizon and organising the broader enterprise for long-term success. Working in collaboration with postmasters, we’ve got not too long ago expanded our pilots for the introduction of a brand new IT system to 5 branches and have been showcasing the system on to postmasters of their native area,” mentioned a Publish Workplace spokesperson.

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One of many largest challenges for the incoming IT chief would be the programme to switch Horizon, the retail and accounting system that performed a elementary function within the Publish Workplace scandal. Subpostmasters had been accused of accounting losses {that a} 2018/19 Excessive Courtroom case proved had been attributable to bugs in Horizon.

Unprecedented laws handed in Might exonerated tons of of victims of the scandal.

Laptop Weekly revealed in Might that the Publish Workplace has requested HM Treasury for almost £1bn in additional money to fund the mission to develop a alternative for Horizon. The whole invoice shall be £1.1bn – an enormous improve on the £180m that had initially been forecast when the mission kicked off in 2021.

The brand new system was on account of be accomplished in 2025, however will not be absolutely in place till 2030. Provider Fujitsu is prone to obtain one other five-year contract price as much as £180m to proceed assist for Horizon.

“Earlier in 2024, Publish Workplace submitted a long-term request to the Division for Enterprise and Commerce to make sure funding is obtainable to proceed funding in changing Horizon,” mentioned the Publish Workplace spokesperson.

“Publish Workplace and the Division for Enterprise and Commerce are engaged on this request and as and when an settlement is reached, we’ll inform our postmasters. Within the meantime, we’re additionally investing to make sure the profitable operation of our current expertise, together with extending industrial relationships with suppliers the place that is required.”

In accordance with an e-mail despatched to staff by Publish Workplace appearing CEO Owen Woodley final week, Good will deliver “intensive expertise of main complicated change and enterprise transformation” from his time at Camelot.

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In accordance with his LinkedIn profile, Good has a “confirmed observe document” in “managing a various and difficult set of shareholders, stakeholders and suppliers all through”.

Authorities auditors had been introduced in to evaluate progress on the Horizon alternative mission earlier this yr, and rated it as the very best “purple” warning, which meant “profitable supply of the programmes to ship the Horizon alternative to time, price and high quality seems to be unachievable”.

The evaluate concluded: “There are main points which, at this stage, don’t look like manageable or resolvable totally inside POL [Post Office Limited]. The programme/mission may have re-baselining and/or its total viability reassessed.”

The Treasury doesn’t usually approve further funding for a enterprise case given a purple ranking except it’s assured the mission will enhance. Consequently, the Publish Workplace has to persuade the Labour authorities it will probably get the brand new system again on observe whether it is to obtain the funding it requires.

The Publish Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Laptop Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters, together with Alan Bates, and the issues they suffered on account of accounting software program. It’s one of many largest miscarriages of justice in British historical past (see under timeline of Laptop Weekly articles in regards to the scandal, since 2009).


• Additionally learn: What you have to know in regards to the Horizon scandal •

• Additionally watch: ITV’s documentary – Mr Bates vs The Publish Workplace: The actual story •

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