Voice of the Postmaster (VotP) has released a statement demanding a complete overhaul of the Post Office (PO) as the “only way” the organisation can move forward.

The group was created in 2022 to campaign for fair pay for subpostmasters and claims to have more than 500 retailer members.

The statement has been released following two weeks’ of public outrage sparked by ITV’s drama Mr Bates v The PO, which depicted the fight for justice by more than 700 postmasters after they were wrongly accused of theft and losses based on information from the faulty Horizon till system.

VotP is demanding:

• Compensation for postmasters paid out ‘as soon as possible’
• The first real-terms remuneration rise for current subpostmasters ‘since 2015’
• The removal of current PO employees involved in the Horizon scandal
• The resignation or removal of current PO chief executive Nick Read
• Subpostmasters to be ‘involved in all levels of Post Office management, including senior figures being accountable to PO retailers
• All PO staff pay and bonuses to be linked to the profitability of PO branches
• An ‘overhaul’ of branch remuneration to provide ‘fair pay’ for subpostmasters

The statement accused Read of failing to remove senior figures who oversaw the wrongful persecution of postmasters, failing to tackle rising costs, continuing a ‘toxic bonus culture’ and failing to change engagement with subpostmasters.

The group has also stated that postmasters need to be involved ‘in a material way’ in all levels of PO management, and accountability for business executives should be to postmasters.

VotP concluded by calling for a face-to-face meeting with PO minister Kevin Hollinrake, alongside PO chair Henry Staunton and other representatives. The release stated: “POL is living off the goodwill created by postmasters in their communties. As independent small businesses we hope you recognise that the previously trusted brand PO in the heart of every community is us – the postmasters, not the PO.”

The PO has apologised for the ‘immense suffering’ caused by the Horizon scandal and pledged to ‘reset’ its relationship with subpostmasters. Surveys of branch owners by the PO conducted before the ITV drama showed some improvements in its relationship with subpostmasters, though the results continue to show high levels of dissatisfaction.

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