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Further step towards full and fair redress
as new appeal permissions process to
be established.
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Change responds to recommendation from Horizon Inquiry chair
Sir Wyn , with claimants encouraged to
seek legal advice ahead of launch.
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New process for Horizon shortfall
cases where records are incomplete
or unavailable to also be created
following report published today.
Postmasters affected by the
Horizon scandal who have accepted a £75,000
Fixed Sum Offer (FSO) and believe they were owed more
will be able to seek permission to appeal through
a new process set to launch later this year.
This change comes directly in response
to recommendations from Sir Wyn in his first Post Office
Horizon IT Inquiry report, where he made the case
that claimants should be able to access a fully funded and
independent appeals process. In response, the
Government promised to deliver this so that those
who have taken offers via
the Horizon Shortfall
Scheme (HSS) don't miss out on the full and
fair redress they are owed.
So far, more than £940 million has been paid in redress to over
11,000 claimants on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), with
an additional £11 million paid in award uplifts via the
DBT-run HSS Appeals scheme.
Those who take part will be able to seek
permission from an independent person to appeal
their FSO award in the HSS
Appeals process. Claimants will be able to receive free
legal advice and support, and crucially will
not risk being paid less that the £75,000 they
have already received.
The process will be as light touch as
possible to minimise burden
on claimants. Applicants will make their
application by submitting a
concise explanation in writing and
will not be
required to submit supporting evidence unless
they wish to.
Post Office Minister said:
Many postmasters lost their livelihoods as a result
of this scandal and the least they deserve is to know the
redress they received was fair.
This new process gives those who accepted the Fixed Sum Offer a
real opportunity to have their case looked at again, with free
legal support.
If you strongly believe you're owed more, I encourage you to seek
legal advice.
Alongside announcing this change, Ministers
have accepted recommendations from
the Independent Senior Lawyer Sir Gary
Hickinbottom following his review of Horizon Shortfall
Scheme Fixed Sum Offer cases in which there is no ready
evidence of a shortfall.
New guidance will also be published, outlining
the procedures for managing and processing these cases to ensure
claimants have a clear understanding of how their claims will be
handled.
To qualify for this process there must be evidence that it
is more likely than not that a Horizon
shortfall took place. The new process will include
guidance to Post Office about how to seek shortfall
evidence on a gradual basis
and will emphasise that the test might
sometimes require less evidence than would
be needed in other circumstances.
Notes to editors
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This process responds to Recommendation 9 of the Post Office
Horizon IT Inquiry Volume 1 report,
published in July 2025, which the Government
accepted in its October 2025 response.
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Claimants who want to appeal are encouraged to seek legal
advice now, ahead of the opening of the scheme, so they are
ready to apply.
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In December 2025, Sir Gary Hickinbottom was
appointed as the Independent Senior Lawyer to the
HSS. The Department for Business and Trade and Post Office
referred the handling of cases without shortfall evidence to
the ISL for review.
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The latest stats on redress can be found here - Post Office Horizon
financial redress data as of 30 April 2026 - GOV.UK
