July 2015
Extract from JFSA email update 16th July 2015
Many of the group have been in contact regarding an undated letter they have recently received from Post Office in the guise of being the Complaint Review & Mediation Scheme (it seems somewhere along the way they have also lost the originally agreed ‘Initial’ part of the title).
What you decide to do about it is entirely up to you, however some points you should bear in mind:-
You have to ask yourself, are you dealing with a firm that is decent, honest and truthful, and has it shown a genuine willingness to find the truth and address the issues raised? If you truly believe that is the case, then you may well think there is potential in attending one of their Mediation meetings – otherwise why bother? Why would you want to sit in a room and be insulted by people who will not listen and are just following orders? But the choice is yours.
Post Office intimates that there will never be any Inquiry, but there are many people in Westminster working to ensure that the truth will come out through one channel or another. It may not be next week, in may not be for a number of months, but those in Westminster and JFSA will keep pressing the issue forward until it does. There are many new cases that have come along since the Initial Complaint Review & Mediation Scheme closed to applications, and they are beginning to sign up with the CCRC and to pursue their own MPs for support. At the rate the new members are appearing, it won’t be that long before every MP has at least one case in their constituency.
Previously, and on more than one occasion, JFSA and the MPs have tried meeting with Post Office, and you only have to look at the new front page of the JFSA website to see how Post Office treated those groups. So you have to ask yourself why would it be different for you if you met with Post Office at a Mediation meeting or with your MP? All you would be doing is letting them tick a box that Mediation or an MP meeting had taken place – the fact that it was disastrous would not be reported.
Why would ticking a box be so important to Post Office, and why the Friday 4th September deadline? Could it be because the MPs don’t return from summer recess until Monday 7th September, or could it be that the new Chairman of Post Office starts on 1st October and they want the issue buried before he starts?
JFSA’s position remains that until there is a major shift, due to personnel changes or whatever, in the stance that Post Office has opted for in the last two years, then there is no point at all in meeting with it, and to do so just adds credence to their arrogance.
But it is your choice, and you may want to discuss it with your Professional Advisor.
Many of the group have been in contact regarding an undated letter they have recently received from Post Office in the guise of being the Complaint Review & Mediation Scheme (it seems somewhere along the way they have also lost the originally agreed ‘Initial’ part of the title).
What you decide to do about it is entirely up to you, however some points you should bear in mind:-
- JFSA is not aware of a single case that has been to a Mediation meeting where the applicant has been the slightest bit happy with the outcome, or that the meeting brought resolution between the two parties, which was the stated aim of the Scheme.
- However JFSA is aware of a number of cases that have been to Mediation meetings where the applicants have been left distraught and angry at Post Office’s unwillingness to listen or even consider the issues that they have raised.
- We have also been made aware that at these so called ‘Mediation’ meetings, Post Office just emphasises the outcome of their report of the case, and ignores the comments and issues raised by the applicant or those of the independent investigations firm Second Sight.
- Don’t forget about the 30+ cases where there was a prosecution involved. The agreed documentation at the start of the Scheme stated they would all be allowed to go through the Scheme, but of recent Post Office has changed its mind and excluded them all.
You have to ask yourself, are you dealing with a firm that is decent, honest and truthful, and has it shown a genuine willingness to find the truth and address the issues raised? If you truly believe that is the case, then you may well think there is potential in attending one of their Mediation meetings – otherwise why bother? Why would you want to sit in a room and be insulted by people who will not listen and are just following orders? But the choice is yours.
Post Office intimates that there will never be any Inquiry, but there are many people in Westminster working to ensure that the truth will come out through one channel or another. It may not be next week, in may not be for a number of months, but those in Westminster and JFSA will keep pressing the issue forward until it does. There are many new cases that have come along since the Initial Complaint Review & Mediation Scheme closed to applications, and they are beginning to sign up with the CCRC and to pursue their own MPs for support. At the rate the new members are appearing, it won’t be that long before every MP has at least one case in their constituency.
Previously, and on more than one occasion, JFSA and the MPs have tried meeting with Post Office, and you only have to look at the new front page of the JFSA website to see how Post Office treated those groups. So you have to ask yourself why would it be different for you if you met with Post Office at a Mediation meeting or with your MP? All you would be doing is letting them tick a box that Mediation or an MP meeting had taken place – the fact that it was disastrous would not be reported.
Why would ticking a box be so important to Post Office, and why the Friday 4th September deadline? Could it be because the MPs don’t return from summer recess until Monday 7th September, or could it be that the new Chairman of Post Office starts on 1st October and they want the issue buried before he starts?
JFSA’s position remains that until there is a major shift, due to personnel changes or whatever, in the stance that Post Office has opted for in the last two years, then there is no point at all in meeting with it, and to do so just adds credence to their arrogance.
But it is your choice, and you may want to discuss it with your Professional Advisor.
Extract from JFSA email update 11th July 2015
Westminster
Although it may seem quiet at the moment, we are aware of considerable support and activity by the MPs at Westminster. The more they learn about the goings on, the more they realise that this scandal has to be exposed. While they have very serious concerns about the way individuals have been treated, they are even more disturbed by the major cover up the Post Office is orchestrating using millions of pounds of taxpayers' money. In order to address this point, the MPs are pressing the Business Innovations and Skills (BIS) Select Committee to undertake a full and detailed investigation into all the issues that have taken place.
Westminster
Although it may seem quiet at the moment, we are aware of considerable support and activity by the MPs at Westminster. The more they learn about the goings on, the more they realise that this scandal has to be exposed. While they have very serious concerns about the way individuals have been treated, they are even more disturbed by the major cover up the Post Office is orchestrating using millions of pounds of taxpayers' money. In order to address this point, the MPs are pressing the Business Innovations and Skills (BIS) Select Committee to undertake a full and detailed investigation into all the issues that have taken place.
Panorama
It is a bit of an open secret now, but Panorama has been filming a number of the group and following up on the story for the last few months. It was believed that the programme would have been shown on the 22nd June, then it was the 29th and then most Monday’s since, but as yet no confirmed date has been set. It is thought that the film is complete and it is only ‘pressures’ that are being applied that is stopping it being shown. When you are in contact with your MP it might also be worthwhile you mentioning this point to them as well.
It is a bit of an open secret now, but Panorama has been filming a number of the group and following up on the story for the last few months. It was believed that the programme would have been shown on the 22nd June, then it was the 29th and then most Monday’s since, but as yet no confirmed date has been set. It is thought that the film is complete and it is only ‘pressures’ that are being applied that is stopping it being shown. When you are in contact with your MP it might also be worthwhile you mentioning this point to them as well.