Latest news with #SimonRecaldin
Daily Mail
2 days ago
- Business
- Daily Mail
Post Office compensation chief steps down after Sir Alan Bates raised 'serious concerns' about schemes
A Post Office boss who backed compensation for Horizon IT scandal victims has left his position as Sir Alan Bates raised 'serious concerns' about schemes. Leader of the Post Office's Remediation Unit, Simon Recaldin, is believed to have opted for voluntary redundancy and left his post this week. It comes as the first part of a public inquiry report into the controversy, analysing the compensation process as well as the affect on victims, is anticipated to be released in the coming weeks. More than 900 sub-postmasters were prosecuted between 1999 and 2015 after faulty accounting software made it look as though money was missing from their accounts. Hundreds are still waiting for payouts despite the previous government announcing that those who have had convictions quashed are eligible for £600,000. A Post Office spokesperson said yesterday Mr Recaldin's departure was a part of an 'organisational design exercise' across the firm. Now Joanne Hanley, who was previously a managing director and global head of client servicing, data and operations for Lloyds', is understood to have taken up a large portion of the former Post Office chief, according to The Telegraph. It comes as Post Office hero Sir Alan Bates accused the government of running a 'quasi kangaroo court' payout system for the scandal's victims last month. More recently, Sir Alan said he would prefer to see the compensation schemes thrown out rather the people working on them. 'We have got serious concerns about the transparency and the parity across the schemes,' he told The Telegraph. Last November, Mr Recaldin giving evidence to the inquiry, apologised after it was unearthed staff who were managing compensation claims had also been embroiled in prosecutions relating to the scandal. When queried about ex Post Office investigators he said: 'So my regret – and it is a genuine regret – is that when I came in, in January 2022, that I didn't do that conflicts check, check back on my inherited team, and challenge that.' It comes as the Sir Alan, who famously won his High Court battle with the Post Office in 2019 revealed that he had been handed a 'take it or leave it' compensation offer of less than half his original claim. Mr Bates, 70, said the first offer, made in January last year, was just one sixth of what he was asking for, adding that it rose to a third in the second offer. He has now been given a 'final take it or leave it offer' - which he said amounts to 49.2 per cent of his original claim. He, alongside 500 other sub-postmasters, will now have to lodge their bid for compensation via the Group Litigation order, managed by the Government. Bates, who led the sub-postmasters' campaign for justice, attacked the government for reneging on assurances given when the compensation schemes were set up The Post Office currently manages the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, which is seperate to the aforementioned. This scheme was organised for victims who have not been compensated but believe they experienced financial loses due to the IT scandal. A Post Office spokesman said: 'As part of the Post Office's commitment to deliver a 'new deal for postmasters', we have undertaken a review of our operating model to ensure we have the right structure in place. 'We have been in consultation with a number of colleagues from across the business, including the Remediation Unit. As a result of this Post Office-wide organisational design exercise, Simon Recaldin has left the business.'
Telegraph
3 days ago
- Business
- Telegraph
Post Office compensation chief let go after criticism by Sir Alan Bates
The Post Office director responsible for compensating victims of the Horizon scandal has been let go amid criticism of the process by Sir Alan Bates, The Telegraph can disclose. Simon Recaldin, who headed up the Post Office 's Remediation Unit, is understood to have taken voluntary redundancy and left the organisation earlier this week. His departure comes ahead of the expected publication of the first part of a public inquiry report into the scandal, which will examine the compensation process and the impact on victims. Sir Alan, whose efforts to uncover the truth about Horizon, featured in an acclaimed ITV drama, criticised the overall compensation process last month and accused the Government of presiding over a 'quasi kangaroo court'. On Friday, a Post Office spokesman said Mr Recaldin's departure was a result of a review of its operating model and a subsequent 'Post Office-wide organisational design exercise'. The Telegraph understands that Joanne Hanley, who worked at Lloyds Banking Group for more than 20 years, is now covering a large part of Mr Recaldin's previous work. Before leaving for the Post Office, Ms Hanley was a managing director and global head of client servicing, data and operations for Lloyds' corporate markets. More than 900 sub-postmasters were wrongfully prosecuted between 1999 and 2015, when Fujitsu's faulty Horizon software incorrectly suggested that they were stealing money. A public inquiry into the scandal finished hearing evidence in December 2024 and the first part of the report is expected to be published in the coming weeks. Sir Alan has been highly critical of the various compensation schemes, which he described as 'quasi-kangaroo courts' in The Sunday Times last month. Speaking to The Telegraph on Friday, Sir Alan said: 'It's not so much as throwing out the people working on the scheme, it's more about throwing out the schemes – that would be my preference. 'We have got serious concerns about the transparency and the parity across the schemes.' Sir Alan, who won a High Court battle against the Post Office in 2019, said his latest compensation offer was on a 'take it or leave it' basis and amounted to less than half of his original claim. The campaigner and more than 500 other sub-postmasters who joined him in a court action have to apply for compensation through the Group Litigation Order scheme, now administered by the Government. Separately, the Post Office runs the Horizon Shortfall Scheme, set up for victims who were neither involved in the compensation scheme nor convicted as a result of false shortfalls. Mr Recaldin, who attended the inquiry for the second time in November last year to give evidence in its final phase, apologised when it emerged that staff involved in Horizon prosecutions were given jobs managing compensation claims. A former NatWest and Royal Bank of Scotland manager, he took on the position as head of the then-Historical Matters Business Unit in January 2022. When asked about former Post Office investigators, he told the inquiry: 'So my regret – and it is a genuine regret – is that when I came in, in January 2022, that I didn't do that conflicts check, check back on my inherited team, and challenge that. 'And that I absolutely apologise for, because I think that's something that should have been done.' A Post Office spokesman said: 'As part of the Post Office's commitment to deliver a 'new deal for postmasters', we have undertaken a review of our operating model, to ensure we have the right structure in place. 'We have been in consultation with a number of colleagues from across the business, including the Remediation Unit. As a result of this Post Office-wide organisational design exercise, Simon Recaldin has left the business.'
