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13" June 2013
Mr R Hutchings
Burley Post Office
The Cross
Burley
Ringwood
BH24 4AA
Dear Mr Hutchings
Re Stock Remittance
On receipt of your second letter I have discussed your case with the
Network. They have asked me to exceptionally, in recognition of your
service record, to provide a solution to your problem.
The proposal you suggested is not valid as stamp stocks are not held as
value items at Swindon so there was no surplus to offset against.
To correct your stock position I can authorise you on this occasion to rem
out the stamp books but make no physical despatch, Please do not
include any other items in this “phantom” remittance.
[ will then ensure no transaction correction is issued to you in respect of
this.
Yours sincerely
Andy Winn
Relationship Manager
Finance Service Centre
i Future Walk
Chesterfield
S49 1PF
Cc Branch Support team
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Andrew Winn
OSS Seen = vs ve sesntsemmseom
From: Nigel Allen
Sent: 11 June 2013 11:42
To: Andrew Winn
Ce: Robert N Atkinson
Subject: RE: Burley 171508 - IN CONFIDENCE
Importance: High
Confidentiat
Hi Andy
Apologies for the delay in replying
Like you, ! don't actually disbelieve the spmr but for two audits to have taken place and this not to be escalated is very
concerning.
As you say, none of the options are particularly appealing. I think the first option, i.e, making the spmr pay up, could open
up a can of worms. I'm not sure that the spmr is a member of the NFSP, but given that the amount involved represents a
significant percentage of his salary, I feel sure he would take this further, This could then put us in the position of trying to
defend ourselves against a charge that the auditors didn’t do their job properly and could potentially give the NFSP or an
MP some useful ammunition!
Option 2 — must admit I don’t really understand this, so not really able to comment on the implications.
Option 3 — given the circumstances, I think this is probably going to be the least painful one, The spmr needs to accept
that some fault lies with him in not pursuing this and also that he has theoretically been false accounting by declaring
stock that isn't there. However, I also think that given the spmr’s 36 years service and your comment that his
TC/accounting rate is excellent, there should be some recognition of this. We are also as satisfied as we can be that the
origin of this error lays with POL i.e. the Stock Centre not sending the stamps out
Before making a decision, it maybe worth getting a copy of calls made to the NBSC — you can get this from the Branch
and IT systems email address. This will hopefully show that the spmr did raise this issue via the NBSC as he’s said, and
would give further credence to his version of events.
Hope this helps. Happy to discuss further if you wish,
Regards
Nigel Allen I Contracts Advisor,
nigel.alt
From: Andrew Winn
Sent: 05 June 2013 16:10
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To: Nigel Allen
Ce: Robert N Atkinson
Subject: Burley 171508
Hi Nigel
I don’t actually disbelieve the branch here but the claim that 2 sets of auditors have recorded missing stock as being
present is a bit scary.
Stamps are just pieces of paper at Swindon so there would not have been a surplus at another branch.
{can see 3 options
Pay up — we don’t believe you
Create a phantom rem out — branches can now invent 10 year old errors that we have to let them off on because we do
not have any information about. Plus Swindon will not pick up a phantom rem so I can rem stamps out and just sell
them on my retail side.
Network write off — we believe you and are making a gesture in recognition of long years of accurate accounting ~ and
his TC rate is excellent. However this does leave huge question marks over the audit process.
None are particularly appealing. Thoughts?
Andy Winn Relationship Manager
® Finance Service Centre, 1 Future Watk, Chesterfield
a ‘S49 4 PF
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Andy Winn
Post Office Relationship Manager
lst Floor West
1 Future Walk
CHESTERFIELD
S49 1PF
03 June 2013
Dear Mr Winn,
CORRECTION OF SHORTAGE IN STOCK REVETTANCE
FAD 171 508 9
Thank you for your letter dated 03 May, in reply to my letter of 26 April.
lam pleased to note that you accept that the discrepancy did occur. I
understand that after so long a delay you are unable to confirm that the
error was never resolved; however in view of my 36 years service as
Postmaster here, I had hoped you might accept my word on that point also.
In general, if POL has to write off stamp stock as obsolete, damaged or lost,
there is no real cash loss to POL involved, as the stamps have no actual
vaiue until sold to the public, when a liability to give value for the money
received is created at the point of sale.
Ivis also true, since the stamps were never issued to me, that they must
have remained in Stores, to be issued to, and sold by, some other office in
due course. My apparent shortage must have been balanced by a surplus
created elsewhere, wherever these stamps actually went.
Shortage claim 03 June 2013 RW Hutchings Pagel of2 printed at 09:32:37 en 04/06/13
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It therefore follows that if POL write off this non-existent stock, POL will
incur no real loss. On the other hand, if I have to balance my local accounts
by paying in real cash for non-existent stock, POL will receive money for
nothing, and I will lose about two weeks of my gross salary - more like four
weeks of my nett income after expenses.
This might be thought fair if I had lost the stock after delivery through
negligence, but is surely not equitable when the error occurred before the
remittance ever reached me. Given that the delivery to me also included
reissued used phone cards passed off as new, I might even use a harsher
term than simple error.
The fact that the auditors nodded through the discrepancy without
minuting it is regrettable, but I did explain it to them at the time, as
otherwise they would have found my account short by this amount. Having
inspected the documentation which I copied to you with my previous letter,
their response was to accept my explanation, include the missing stock as
present, and to say only that I should approach POL to sort it out.
In short, the original error occurred when the remittance was made up, and
was therefore completely outside my control. I agree that this error was
compounded by my failure to follow up at the time, but this is the first and
only time such a thing has happened here, and it is not surprising that the
procedure was a mystery to me, and was not correctly pursued.
In view of all these points, I ask you to reconsider your decision.
Yours sincerely,
GRO
Roger I
Postmaster
Burley, Ringwood.
Shortage claim 03 June 2013 RW Hutchings Page2 of2 printed at 09°32-37 on
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3" May 2013
Mr R Hutchings
Burley Post Office
The Cross
Burley
Ringwood
BH24 4AA
Dear Mr Hutchings
Re Stock Remittance
I'm afraid that given the age of the issue you are raising I am not going to
be able to assist you. Whilst I do not doubt that there was a remittance
discrepancy as you report [ cannot tell if the problem was resolved.
Auditors certainly should not accept that a long standing stock shortage is
still awaiting resolution. I have looked at the audit reports [ can see for
2005 & 2006.
The first records a £4.50 stock shortage with no actions required.
The second records a stock shortage of £334.17 and that £261.87 of debit
transaction corrections were pending at the time. The follow up to the
audit stated that no further actions were outstanding.
Unless you are able to produce some documentary evidence to support
your assertion that the shortage was carried forward through your audits
there is nothing I can do to help. Im afraid this will leave you with a
lability of £600 as your stock levels should be correctly declared.
Yours sincerely
Andy Winn
Relationship Manager
Finance Service Centre
1 Future Walk
Chesterfield
S49 1PP
Ce Branch Support team
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BURLEY POST OFFICE
THE CROSS BURLEY RINGWOOD HAMPSHIRE BH24 4A4
e-mail regerhutchings
phone/fax I
Andy Winn
Post Office Relationship Manager
Ist Floor West
I Future Walk
CHESTERFIELD
S49 1PF
26 April 2013
Dear sir,
CORRECTION OF SHORTAGE IN STOCK REMITTANCE
FAD 171 508 9
During December 2003, I received a stock remittance which was short of
ten books of 100 first class stamps. It also contained a pack of ten £10
phonecards, which on inspection had already been used.
This was immediately reported to Stock Centre, who instructed me to enter
the stock remittance as if it were correct, and await further instructions. I
now understand that I should have been told to enter the stock, declare a
shortage, and move the loss to the suspense account, which would have
triggered a correction notice, but I was not told to do that at the time.
After a few days, I received a second remittance containing replacements
for the missing/used stock, and I remitted back the phonecards as faulty
stock, which left me with the ten books of stamps still short.
Shortage clains 26 Aprit Pagel of2 printed ath2:21:18 on 26/04/13
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No further instructions were ever received, and my stock holding is
therefore still wrong.
in audit visits since then, the auditor has been satisfied with the
explanation of the apparent stock shortage, but I do need to clear it up,
since the books are still held in my stock, now at their current uprated value
of £600.00.
NBSC have been unable to advise me what to do,and referred me to
Chesterfield, who say they do not have access to records after two
years,and suggest I should ask you for assistance.
l enclose copies of the original advice notes, showing the reference number
and names of the people I spoke with at the time.
I apologise for the lapse of time involved, but as the error originated at
Stock Centre, I have always assumed that sooner or later they would move
to clear it up - apparently not.
Please, can you now advise me how to eliminate this long-standing
problem ?
Yours sincerely,
Roger Hutchings
Postmaster
Burley, Ringwood.
Shortage claim 26 April 2013 RW Hutchings Pagel of2 printed at {2-21-18 on
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/ 0: MEEDINPO NATIONAL SECURE STOCK CENTRE ~ HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
/
/ ADVICE NOTE PAGE: 2
CODE: 1715089
/ NAME: BURLEY SPSO
/ ADRESS: THE CROSS
BURLEY
RINGWOOD, HANTS
POSTCODE: BH24 48a,
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MUST AGREE WITH THE TOTAL DF TABLE STOCK RECEIVED FROM NSSC HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
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/
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/ OP: MEEDINPO NATIONAL SECURE STOCK CENTRE ~ HEMEL HEMPSTEAD
/ CODE: 1715089
NAME: BURLEY SPso
ADDRESS:
WOOD, HANTS
POSTCODE: BH24 4AA
Serial Number Details
S¥OCK CODE DESCRIPTION
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POLO STAL ORDERS £10.00
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9041524091
“10 ae 406786026
10 Fron: 646401171
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16/12/03 22:34:47
PAGE: 3
REQUISITION: 238178
WORKSHEET: 986447
TYPE: BHE
MOVEMENT: 7764000
C/AREA: PST
FROM SITE: HEM
9041524100
406786035
646401180
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ADVICE NOTE PAGE: i
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Andy Waiker
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From: Andy Walker
Sent: 24 April 2013 14:48
To: Kay Dolby; i Hoyland
Subject: FW, 171508 - 9
Hello,
This is for info only
andy
Andy Walker I Mails & Stock Tears, §
West Bars, Chesterfield, 549 IPF
“4
From: Andy Walker
Sent: 24 April 2013 14:31
To: Andrew Winn
Subject: 171508 - 9
Hello,
I thought it best to give you a heads-up about this.
The Postmaster of the above office should soon write to you about a stock discrepancy ~ he reported a shortage of
10 books of 100. The problem is this was 10 years ago and we can’t check anything going that far back, He said this
was reported to helpline at the time (stiff has ref no and names} but he never received a TC. The original velue was
£260 but with price changes it has now become £600.
Regards
andy
Andy Walker I Mails § Stock Tearn, FSC
1” Floor West Block, 1 Future Walk, West Bars, Chesterfield, 549 IPF
i
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