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CIRCULATION: NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL FOR AGENDA DISCUSSION PC NW 06 01
GT/LW PC NW 06 01
29 September 2009
CIRCULATION: __ NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COUNCIL
Dear Executive Officer
RE: LEE CASTLETON - HORIZON
Please see the email below from ex Subpostmaster, Lee Castleton, which has already
been forwarded to you. Both myself and my predecessor have in the past
investigated the issue and corresponded with Mr Castleton regarding his belief that
the system was not robust and failsafe. This issue has now been placed on the
agenda for discussion at our forthcoming Executive Council meeting.
Yours sincerely
GEORGE THOMSON
General Secretary
Encl.
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Dear Bhavna
I am writing to you as you are an Executive Council member of the NFSP.
My name is Lee Castleton and I liv used to own a Sub Post Office until
I had a problem in 2004. I do not wish to burdéi you with my own personal story in this letter but I am
more than willing , if you wish, to go into great detail at a later date. I have been asked to ask you if you
feel any responsibility for the safety of your members that you were elected to represent?
I am part of a growing group of Postmasters who are both serving and ex-serving and we have all
suffered problems with the Horizon system . Our goal is to publicize the belief that the Post Office
Horizon accounts system is flawed, and that the way in which this problem is dealt with is systematically
heavy handed and is effectively swept under the carpet, the public in our opinion should be allowed to
hear all sides and decide for themselves. We have evidence of Horizon not performing properly and we
have evidence from IT technical experts who support our claims.
We as a group are actively looking for opportunities to publicize the problems that we feel are not being
dealt with by the Post Office and are being ignored by the NFSP. We have had numerous amounts of
column inches with various magazines and of course the BBC have now shown the Taro 9 program on
BBC Wales. Again as a group we are now embarking into mainstream media coverage with BBC
Watchdog preparing a program along with various radio shows asking for interviews. At least one MP is
to approach the Government and ask them to launch an enquiry.
This is of course very good for our group and the publicity is good for our cause. Clearly you as a senior
person within the NFSP will be asked for comment on this issue.
It should be of up most concern to you as a senior official that Horizon can go wrong at the very least
your Union should be holding its own enquiry to establish the facts, Postmasters are being sent to
prison, being given criminal records, and are being made bankrupt.
I have been asked to write to yourself and ask you what are you doing with respect to this problem and
what are you doing as a group at the NFSP to protect and educate your membership. I quote from your
website.
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We hope that this is a question you wish to answer, and prove with actions that you are facing up to this
problem and are doing all you can to protect your members, you do have a personal duty of care to
your members. I look forward to hearing from you.
Yours Sincerely
Lee Castleton