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A Nelson sub-postmaster falsely accused of a £44,000 shortfall by the Post Office has announced he plans to retire, more than a decade after his ordeal began.
Steve Phillips, who has run the Nelson branch for more than 13 years, revealed his decision during a national television report looking back at the Horizon IT scandal.
Despite receiving a £75,000 interim payout, he told BBC’s The One Show that he continues to experience unexplained discrepancies on the Horizon accounting system.
Detailing recent figures on his branch terminal, Mr Phillips showed how the system logged a £1.44 shortfall one Thursday, followed by a £276 shortfall the following day.
“The Post Office say they want me to put that money back in,” he said.
Mr Phillips was one of hundreds of sub-postmasters across the UK wrongly blamed for financial discrepancies caused by the Post Office’s faulty Horizon software.
He was first featured on The One Show in December 2014, when he spoke out about the toll the accusations were taking on his life and livelihood.
At the time, he feared prosecution, saying: “Sometime in the future they are going to come after me for this £18,000 that’s missing. When, I don’t know.”
Despite the years of pressure and ongoing technical issues, Mr Phillips kept the Nelson branch open to serve the local community.
“I haven’t had one sort of negative comment about it at all,” he told The One Show‘s Alex Jones. “People around here will listen.”
With the public inquiry and police investigations into the scandal entering their final stages, Mr Phillips confirmed he will soon step down from the branch.
Describing how he expects to feel on his final day, he said: “Relief in some ways, and then a bit of sadness.”
A Post Office spokesperson said: “We are grateful to Steve for everything he does to support his local community. Postmasters up and down the country are handling record amounts of cash as residents and businesses rely on our branches to do their banking.
“Like any retailer, at the end of a week’s trading period it’s not uncommon for there to be a shortfall or a surplus of cash in the tills as too much or too little change can be provided to a customer by mistake.
“What has changed significantly is the way we work collaboratively with postmasters to identify any issues that may have caused a shortfall. We always seek their agreement for any repayment plan and where we cannot identify the reason for a shortfall we will write the amount off.
“We are replacing the Horizon system and building a flexible, resilient and trusted system that supports postmasters, strengthens our partnerships, and improves the customer experience.”
A spokesperson for Fujitsu, the technology firm behind the faulty accounting software, said: “We have apologised for, and deeply regret, our role in sub-postmasters’ suffering.
“Horizon is a highly complex system made up of about 40 different applications, which currently supports nearly 10,000 Post Office branches across the country. We continue to work with the Post Office to maintain Horizon and deliver critical services, as they move to a new delivery model.
“Our conversations with government regarding our contribution to compensation are ongoing.”
The One Show’s Post Office feature airs Tuesday August 11 on BBC One and BBC iPlayer.
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