Former Post Office Chair Critiques Management and IT System at Horizon Inquiry

Neil McCausland, the former chair of the Post Office, has delivered a scathing assessment of the organization during a public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal. Describing the business as “very badly run and messy,” McCausland highlighted the outdated and poorly maintained IT infrastructure, characterizing the Horizon system as “clunky” and “creaky.” He acknowledged that while the system was known to be underinvested, he was assured of its data integrity and soundness during his tenure from 2011 to 2016. In his testimony, McCausland recounted that the Horizon system was given a clean bill of health in a board meeting prior to the Post Office's separation from Royal Mail in 2013. He stated that he was informed the legal claims regarding the system's integrity were “weak” and that previous prosecutions utilizing Horizon data had been successful. This perception of reliability contributed to the ongoing issues faced by branch owner-operators, many of whom were wrongfully prosecuted based on flawed data. McCausland also criticized former CEO Paula Vennells for her lack of transparency, claiming she provided limited information to the board regarding investigations into the Horizon system. He expressed dissatisfaction with how Vennells introduced critical findings from a report by forensic accountants Second Sight, which identified bugs affecting 76 branches, during a board call under “other business.” This revelation, he noted, was crucial for the campaign to exonerate the affected branch operators.