Spare a thought when you post your Christmas cards.

The Post Office Horizon Scandal. Where are we now?

It took until 2019 for the Horizon system to be found error-prone in a High Court judgement after first being exposed by Computer Weekly in 2009.

More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongly prosecuted. Up until now, 93 convictions have been overturned and only 30 have agreed a final settlement.

In May 2022 NBIT (New Branch IT) was announced as Horizon’s replacement but after delays, deployment is now set for mid-2026. The cost? It’s increased from £180 million to £1.1 billion.

In the meantime, Horizon is still being used. Several versions later, a survey found that 92% of users still report some form of issue such as screen freeze and loss of connection.

The Horizon Scandal has had a devastating impact on the sub-postmasters, and their families, who were wrongly accused and justice has yet to be served for many.

The IAP believe that well-designed software has a positive impact on industry, our communities and future. When computer systems fail in this way, we provide a platform for our members to be able to connect and discuss the issues and concerns raised by this scandal. Email admin@iap.org.uk.