POL00145419 - Email from Paula Vennells to Susan Crichton and Kevin Gilliland re: Fwd: The case for independence in the Post Office appeals system

Evidence on official site

POL00145419
POL00145419

From: Paula Vennells}
Sent: Fri 12/07/2013
To: Susan CrichtonI evin
Gilliland i
Subject: Fwd: The case for independence in the Post Office appeals system

Just FYI. He is trying really hard to help us but is understandably volatile. My intuition is he is a very decent chap
who got in a mess over the MVLs 2 years ago (he admitted this to me - knows it's not the system). You will hear
the rest.

Just thought you should see this.

Thank you both for agreeing to speak to him.

Paula

Sent from my iPhone

Begin forwarded message:

From: DAVID WOODROW i
Date: 12 July 2013 18:38:03 BS
To: Paula Vennells

Subject: Re: The case for independence in the Post Office appeals system
Reply-To: DAVID WOODROW!

Hi Paula.

Thanks for this and for the phone call.

I will be in London for an N.F.R.N. executive meeting on Tues 6th August which does not start

till 1100am so I could meet meet you that morning as at the moment I am travelling down on the
Sth.

I do not know my Post Office position till after Tuesday but if you wish to meet sooner than 6th

August I would be happy to come down at a mutually convenient time.

Cheers for now

David Woodrow

From: Paula Vennells
To: DAVID WOODROW ¢
Sent: Friday, 12 July 2013; 75:13"
Subject: Re: The case for independence in the Post Office appeals system

David, thank you for copying me in your note to Jo Swinson.

IT am genuinely sorry that you feel we have let you down. I realise that Friday afternoon is not an
ideal time, but would you be happy to have a quick phone call with me? I would like to listen.

Paula

Paula Vennells
CEO Post Office Ltd
Sent from my iPad

Dear Jo.

I write to you as the minister dealing with the inquiry into the Horizon system and I
watched with interest the debate on Monday as a constituent in your neighbouring
constituency

You seemed to make quite an issue of the fact that there was only 47 cases that have

come to light. As a currently suspended subpostmaster after 33 years service I can

assure you that the 47 are only the tip of the iceberg. I personally paid out £1900 last

year as our office could not resolve a horizon issue to do with reversing
M.V.L.transactions.

Only two weeks ago P.O.C.L. issued a very complicated procedure to resolve such
matters but because it involves a separate government agency the procedure is
fraught with problems and that would be confirmed by helpline operators.

Why I am currently suspended is because I broke the terms of my contract by
retaining £2000 in lieu of a rates issue which is exclusive to Scotland and is partly
due to poor support for current Sub Postmasters from P.O.C.L

T attach a document which I submitted to my first interview at the end of which I was

given the option of resigning ot take my case to appeal.

I chose to appeal, but in light of the debate on Monday, the fact that the appeal is to

be heard by a Post Office Manager seems a bit contrary to one of the accepted
outcomes of the inquiry that there should be some form of independence in any
appeal process.

My office has now been closed for nearly 8 weeks and I will attend my appeal on

Tuesday 16th in the hope that I and my staff can get back to serving our community.

T am copying this to all the M.P.s who took part in the debate as they all had issues
that need to be resolved. There was however a common denominator in that
P.O.C.L. has been lacking in their support and training for Sub Postmasters.

Yours sincerely
David Woodrow (Sub postmaster in limbo Bishopton)

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