Covid-19: New Tiers and Lockdown Rules Announced in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

Branches and Reps will be aware that over the weekend a series of announcements were made in relation the introduction of new tougher Tier-4 Coronavirus/Covid-19 Lockdown restrictions across the UK. Tier-4 is the toughest of the county’s five tiers of restrictions (0-4). For those affected, Tier-4 will essentially be a return to the full Lockdown. The Government stated that “throughout the public health emergency, they have had to respond quickly to the rapid changes, which have been so typical of Coronavirus. New information has required an immediate response.”

In summary:

England

London and much of south-east England has been put into Lockdown (known as Level 4 or Tier-4) which came into force from Sunday 20 December. The measures will remain in place for at least two weeks, with a review at the end of that period to decide if it needs to be extended, with the prospect of a possible full National Lockdown to follow in the new year.

The areas affected are:

• Greater London (all 32 boroughs and the City of London)
• Kent
• Buckinghamshire (including Milton Keynes)
• Berkshire
• Surrey (excluding Waverley)
• Gosport, Havant, Portsmouth
• Rother and Hastings
• Bedfordshire
• Hertfordshire
• Essex (excluding Colchester, Uttlesford and Tendring)
• Peterborough

Wales

The whole of Wales has entered another lockdown from 20 December for 3 weeks.

Scotland

The whole of mainland Scotland will begin a new Tier-4 lockdown for three weeks from one minute after midnight on Boxing Day morning on Saturday 26 December.

Northern Ireland

The whole of Northern Ireland begins a six-week lockdown on Boxing Day Saturday 26 December.

Christmas

The planned relaxation of Covid-19 rules for Christmas have in the main been scrapped for large parts of south-east England (as listed) and cut to just Christmas Day for the rest of England, Scotland and Wales. In Northern Ireland, no changes have been made to Christmas restrictions, with three households allowed to meet from 23 to 27 December.

The Reason for the Changes and New Lockdowns

The action was prompted by Government concerns over a new strain of Coronavirus – known as VUI 2020/01 – which is believed to spread more quickly than the original strain and is judged to be the reason for rapidly rising infection rates in the south east of England and elsewhere.

The New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG) suggests the new more aggressive strain is significantly more infectious and is up to 70% more transmissible than the old variant, spreading more quickly and affecting more people.

While the expert advisory group of scientists are fairly certain the variant is transmitted more quickly, there is no evidence to suggest that it is more lethal or causes more severe illness.

There is also no evidence to suggest the vaccine will be any less effective against the new variant.

COVID-19 cases have been nearly doubling in London over the past few weeks, while in the east and south east of England cases have continued to rise significantly.

Over 60% of infections in the capital have been the new variant, which is thought to have emerged in mid-September.

The Government has urged people to continue to get Covid-19 vaccinations. 350,000 people across the UK have already had their Covid-19 vaccine jab. In the coming weeks, the number of vaccination clinics should increase six-fold, following which the plan is for mass vaccination centres to be set up in sports stadiums and conference centres. That could see two million people a week being vaccinated.

Tier 4 Lockdown Rules Summary

• You must stay at home.
• Only allowed out for work, exercise, education, emergencies, childcare, hospital/GP appointments, vets, essential shopping.
• Travel Ban enforced by law.
• No Christmas bubbles.
• No entry to or exit from Tier-4 areas.
• No overnight stays outside home.
• Non-essential shops and hairdressers closed.
• One person can meet one other person outside.
• International travel banned unless for work.

The Full Tier-4 Government Guidance Rules can be found at:

England: https://www.gov.uk/find-coronavirus-local-restrictions

Scotland: https://www.gov.scot/check-local-covid-level/

Wales: https://gov.wales/covid-19-alert-levels

Northern Ireland: https://www.nidirect.gov.uk/articles/coronavirus-covid-19-regulations-guidance-what-restrictions-mean-you

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

20LTB601 Covid-19 New Tiers and Lockdown Rules Announced in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland

CWU members have kept the country connected in 2020 – watch and share this video to thank them #MerryChristmas

ELECTION OF:

• Parcelforce Regional Organisers, Substitute Regional Organisers & Parcelforce Regional Chairs
• Parcelforce Area Organiser NI (No Substitute)
• Parcelforce Area Health & Safety and Substitute Area Health & Safety Representatives

The above elections were scheduled to take place during in early Autumn 2020 however as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and the revised operational arrangements at CWU HQ it has not been possible to conduct these elections in the usual manner.

Following discussions between the DGSP and SDGS Departments, arrangements have now been agreed to allow for these above elections to be conducted, albeit with revised and specifically designed election arrangements.

Clearly the democratic principles of the CWU are founded on our ability to ensure that the elections are conducted in a fair and equitable way and specifically that members of the union, via their own branch nomination, are given the opportunity to put themselves forward as a candidate. These guiding principles have been included in the revised arrangements a summary of which is set out below in advance of the election process.

Election Timetable 

It is necessary for the election timetable to be significantly longer than normal. This will allow branches sufficient time to seek nominations from their members and to then subsequently agree on which candidates(s) they intend to nominate for election and, once the list of candidates is known to then decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch vote.

Nomination Process

In respect of seeking nominations branches will need to put in place a robust system and use all reasonable methods at their disposal to publish suitable notification throughout the branch area, to allow members the opportunity to submit their name for nomination.  Following this the branch would need to put in place arrangements to hold a membership meeting to decide which candidate(s) will receive the branch nomination.

On the basis that no face to face member meetings are currently allowed then this would need to be conducted via a suitable video conferencing platform such as Zoom or Skype, etc. that provides the opportunity for large numbers of members to take part if required.

Branches will need to allow for members who do not have video conferencing facility to join the meeting by phone again should they wish to do so.

The timeline for the meeting would need to be agreed in advance and notification provided to members at least 7 days prior to the meeting taking place.

Dispatch and Return of Nomination Forms to CWU HQ

Nomination forms for these elections will be sent to branches electronically via an LTB prior to the opening date of the nomination period. It will be our intention to set up a specific dedicated election email address where branches should return completed nomination forms to.

Nomination Forms will need to be returned by the advertised closing date to be included with the list of candidates. 

The revised system will avoid the necessity to return forms via the postal system, which of course may be subject to delay during the current Covid-19 crisis.

Dispatch and Return of Voting Papers 

Where individual member ballots are required voting papers will be sent by the appointed independent scrutineer to member’s home addresses. Members will need to return the voting paper by the advertised closing date.

Where branch ballots are required branches will be sent the relevant voting paper by email to the address that we hold on file.  Branches should return the completed voting papers by email to the advertised CWU election email address.  It will the responsibility of the branch to ensure that voting papers are returned to the correct email address.  Notification will be sent to individual branches confirming receipt of the voting papers.

To be included in the ballot voting papers must be returned by the advertised closing date and time.  

Branch Voting Recommendations

Clearly we are in unique and challenging times and whilst branches would normally arrange mandating meetings to decide which candidates to vote for in the respective elections we do not believe that this is either practical or necessary during the current crisis.  Therefore, on this occasion this decision can be made by the Branch Committee and the decision subsequently notified to members of their branch accordingly.

Election Timetable and Term of Office 

The election timetable for the above will be as follows:

Nominations Open:                11 January 2021

Nominations Close:                 9 February 2021

Ballot opens:                              16 February 2021

Ballot closes:                              16 March 2021

The term of Office for the above positions will commence from 16 March 2021 for a period of 2 years.

Any enquiries regarding this Letter to Branches should be addressed to the Senior Deputy General Secretary’s Department on telephone number 020 8971 7237, or email address sdgs@cwu.org.

Yours sincerely,

Tony Kearns

Senior Deputy General Secretary

LTB 600/20

POST OFFICE: NEW LONG TERM COMMERCIAL AGREEMENT WITH ROYAL MAIL

Branches are advised that Post Office and Royal Mail have today announced a
commercial agreement known as the “second Mails Distribution Agreement”,
commencing on 29 March 2021 and operating for 11 years until 28 March 2032. A
press release between the two parties has been published today and is attached.

We welcome the principle of this new agreement as it hopefully brings some stability
for our Postmasters and directly employed members. We do though have some genuine
reservations as it seems the Post Office / Royal Mail relationship is no longer “exclusive”.
This is confirmed in Post Office CEO Nick Read’s statement via a “One Update” to
employees (also attached):

“The new agreement also provides exciting opportunities to open our network
to other potential providers and online retailers, ultimately paving the way to
increased volumes and remuneration.”

Currently we only have the joint press release and internal Post Office communication
to consider and will therefore be asking for more details in relation to the agreement.
Patently we need to understand the full implications of these “exciting opportunities”
and what they could mean for our members (particularly in terms of remuneration for
Postmasters for the handling of additional parcels etc.) We intend to engage with the
Post Office at the earliest opportunity to get full disclosure of the details of the
agreement so we can determine the wider implications.

We should all remember this new commercial agreement is only necessary due to the
political sabotage which took place in April 2012 when Post Office was separated from
the privatised Royal Mail. Clearly both organisations should be one entity, as is the
case with postal services around the world.

Yours sincerely

Terry Pullinger                                Andy Furey
Deputy General Secretary (P)        Assistant Secretary

LTB 599/20 – Post Office – New Long Term Commercial Agreement with Royal Mail

Attachment 1 to LTB 599/20

Attachment 2 to LTB 599/20

York Container Shortages and Repatriation – Assistance Request:

As all Reps will know, the ‘double-whammy’ impact of the Covid-19 pandemic lockdowns, regional restrictions and high street closures, has resulted in the public turning to the on-line internet market. This trend has been further accelerated during the Christmas peak, resulting in record levels of parcel and packet traffic, the sum total of which cannot be underestimated.

Royal Mail has put a record number – 630,000 Yorks into service, including an extra 70,000 purchased this year, all of which have been soaked up by the operation and the massive increase in parcel/packet traffic.

Royal Mail Container Control have appealed to the Union for assistance, requesting CWU Representatives across the country, at every level, help them in improving and speeding up the repatriation of Yorks to where they are needed in the network operation.

Royal Mail has deployed additional support teams including the setting up of a Tactical Container Control Room to support the movement of Yorks and pipeline leads in each service delivery area are helping co-ordinate the repatriation of York containers from Delivery Offices to Mail Centres and RDCs.

To support this further, would all local Area and Unit Safety Reps plus Delivery and Distribution Reps report any office where there is a build-up of Yorks in the Delivery Offices which are not being cleared and returned to the Mail Centres and RDCs to the Tactical Container Control Room. This information will be of great assistance in ensuring that the empty, static Yorks can be recovered back to where they are needed promptly in order to keep them moving to support the operational upstream and importantly help keep the operational offices safe.

Please share this communication with your Unit Reps.

REPORTS TO THE ROYAL MAIL NATIONAL CONTAINER CONTROL ROOM CAN BE SENT BY TEXT, E-MAIL OR TELEPHONE – PHOTOS CAN BE SENT ALSO TO:

ian.j.macdonald@royalmail.com

Mobile:- 07436560875

Thanks for your help.

Yours sincerely,

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 598/20 – York Container Shortages and Repatriation – Assistance Request

RM/CWU – Joint Statement Attendance on Saturday, 26th December 2020

Branches and representatives will be aware that discussions with Royal Mail on the escalating Test Kit operation have been ongoing, which has included the requirement to provide a Test Kit operation on Saturday, 26th December 2020. 

Colleagues will also be aware that Saturday, 26th December has been designated a Non USO day and that the attendance on that day would be voluntary and would attract Monday to Saturday Scheduled Attendance rates. 

Take up has been slow and discussions have continued on additional remuneration to make working on this day more attractive to volunteers. These discussions have now produced the attached Joint Statement, which has been endorsed by the Postal Executive. The document outlines the provision of additional non-pensionable lump sum payments that the company is willing to offer to improve take up by our members.

The additional lump sum payment (non-pensionable) and criteria is as follows:

• Attendances that are for four hours and beyond and up to eight hours will receive an additional lump sum payment of £38.
• Attendances that are in excess of eight hours or more will receive an additional lump sum payment of £60.

While the initial focus was on the provision of the Test Kit service, at the request of the CWU the business has agreed to extend the payments on an exceptional basis to all OPGs, OSGs, MGV Drivers, Mail Screeners, MDECs, Processing Engineers, LA’s, Network Professional Drivers and Fleet Technicians who perform and attend on Saturday, 26th December 2020 in Royal Mail. We have clarified that this will also include Royal Mail International (RMI) and Royal Mail Specialist Services/Relay (RMSS). 

We are sure this additional payment will be welcomed by our members and we hope that it will encourage additional volunteers to attend on Saturday, 26th December 2020 to support the operation. 

Any enquiries in relation to this LTB should be directed to the relevant Officer with responsibility for the function concerned.

Yours sincerely

Davie Robertson – Assistant Secretary

Mark Baulch – Assistant Secretary

Andy Furey – Assistant Secretary

Carl Maden – Assistant Secretary (Acting)

LTB 597/20

Attachment 1 – JS Attendance on Saturday 26 December 17.12.20

Royal Mail Group – Latest Updated Coronavirus/Covid-19 – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance Document (Version 73):

I attach for your information Version 73 of the Royal Mail Group, Managers’ Coronavirus/Covid-19 Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance document, issued by the business on 10 December 2020.

At the commencement of the Coronavirus/Covid-19 outbreak, Royal Mail Group established a ‘Business Pandemic Team’ which includes all national heads of department and this team meets regularly to review the situation across Royal Mail Group and to issue update Questions and Answers information communications to all managers, which is cascaded throughout the business.

The Coronavirus Guidance, version 73 Q&A document has been shared with the Union’s Health, Safety & Environment Department and is hereby circulated for information and reference purposes for CWU Health and Safety Reps and Branch IR Reps.

The Q&A documents are circulated to all RMG managers and are also available to access through a link on the Royal Mail Group ‘Intranet’, in the ‘Managers Update Messages’ section.

Please note that changes and additions from the previous version are highlighted in ‘Yellow’.

NOTE: Please also note that these Q & A documents are ‘Royal Mail Group’ advice documents and all the contents are not agreed with the CWU.

Contents List:

1. HEALTH

1. Prevention
2. Self-isolation, testing and reporting
3. Cleaning and consumables
4. Travel
5. Support and advice
6. POLICY 

1. General guidance
2. Travel/and annual holiday
3. Caring for dependants
4. Sick pay
5. Attendance process
6. Vulnerable employees
7. OPERATIONAL

4. General Ops advice
5. NHS testing kits
6. Operational processes and reporting changes
7. Delivering and collecting from customers
8. Fleet and vehicles
9. ADVICE FOR CUSTOMERS 

Any enquiries to this LTB or feedback on the RMG Q&A document should be directed to Dave Joyce CWU National Health, Safety & Environment Officer.

Attachment:

• Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers V73

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 596/20 – Royal Mail Group – Latest Updated Coronavirus Covid-19 – Frequently Asked Questions and Answers Guidance Document (Version 73)

Coronavirus Guidance Questions and Answers v73

Royal Mail Offices ‘Covid-Secure’ Safety Compliance & Container Equipment Inspection Programme Plus Inspection Check-List:

Ongoing discussions have been taking place between the Health, Safety & Environment Department and Royal Mail Group regarding a range of ‘Covid-Secure’ safety compliance concerns raised by the CWU and the enforcing authorities (HSE and Local Authority EHOs).

In response, Freddie Warnock RMG UK National Operations Safety Health & Environment Strategic Business Partner has initiated a national workplace ‘Covid-Secure’ Safety Compliance & Container Equipment Inspection Programme and has produced the attached simple short ‘Inspection Check-List’ document to be completed for each site with the results recorded and fed into the Royal Mail Group ‘SMAT’ (Audit) Database.

During December all RMG SHE Advisors (BPs) have been requested to engage with CWU ASRs and plan two visits per week covering RMG Offices to check on the following with either the office manager or shift manager:

• Social distancing requirements are being met.
• Face masks are being worn properly.
• Hand sanitising equipment is available and is being used.
• Cleaning schedules are being met – checking with the cleaning manager/cleaner.
• York Containers are being used and are being loaded and transported properly (taking photographs of good and bad practices).
• York Containers are not being left in the yard empty instead of being repatriated – to help address the national shortage.
• York Containers are being wrongly used for storing D2D, cardboard, cleaning materials, PPE stores or other objects – rather than the correct use for trays of mail, bags or parcels.

The findings will also be shared with the office manager and SDL for remedial action.

The proposal is that these inspections will be undertaken ‘jointly’ with RMG SHE Advisors (BPs) and CWU ASRs undertaking the health and safety Covid-Secure/Covid-Safe joint inspections and Container Inspections on a weekly basis.

Attached is a ‘Best Practice Check-List’ to be used in this joint inspection programme in order to focus on the primary important range of Coronavirus ‘Covid-Secure’ controls, plus carry out a container equipment check due to the severe shortage of York containers presently.

Would all ASRs engage with the RMG SHE Team Advisors (BPs) on this programme – which is welcomed by CWU/HQ.

This programme does not affect, alter or change in any way the CWU Area Health and Safety Reps’ normally planned and scheduled Health and Safety Inspections programme, spot check inspections or investigations etc. Likewise, the attached ‘Check List’ does not limit the reporting of any other Health and Safety inspection or investigation findings and reports by CWU ASRs during workplace visits.

Yours sincerely

Dave Joyce
National Health, Safety & Environment Officer

LTB 595/20 – Royal Mail Offices ‘Covid-Secure’ Safety Compliance & Container Equipment Inspection Programme Plus Inspection Check-List

Attachment – Copy of Unit Covid Equipment Inspection Sheet v1.1

POST OFFICE: HORIZON SCANDAL – SIX CONVICTIONS OVERTURNED

Branches are advised that on Friday 11th December 6 former Postmasters who were wrongfully convicted as a consequence of the Horizon scandal had their convictions quashed at Southwark Crown Court. This is obviously very good news for the 6 victims and some sense of justice has finally been achieved after many years for these innocent people. We believe those wrongfully convicted now need to receive proper compensation from the Post Office or Government for having their lives ruined by this terrible scandal. The problem is, how can these victims be meaningfully compensated for the huge personal losses they have suffered – not just financially but to the distress and damage this caused to their reputations within the communities and their livelihoods?

As these particular 6 Postmasters were originally prosecuted in magistrates’ courts, their cases were heard in the Crown Court, whereas the other 41 people (a total of 47 cases were referred to the Criminal Cases Review Commission) were prosecuted in the Crown Court and therefore their appeals will be heard in the Court of Appeal on 22nd March 2021. The Post Office confirmed on 2nd October it will not oppose or contest 44 out of the 47 total cases. The CCRC tweeted the following on Friday:

“Great news from Sout[h]wark Crown Court – convictions quashed in all six of these @ccrcupdate Post Office Horizon referrals”

The following news articles were published in relation to this development:

History made as subpostmasters wrongly prosecuted in Horizon IT scandal have convictions quashed (computerweekly.com)

Post Office scandal: Postmasters have convictions quashed – BBC News

https://news.sky.com/story/former-post-office-sub-postmasters-have-convictions-over-it-scandal-quashed-12158093

https://www.postofficetrial.com/2020/12/first-subpostmaster-convictions-quashed.html

The story also gained TV coverage on ITV and BBC Friday evening.

Independent Horizon Inquiry – Chaired by Sir Wyn Williams

We continue to work with the General Secretary’s Department and our Research Department on preparing and finalising our submission to the inquiry (the closing date is 23rd February 2021). Mark Baker, Postmasters Branch Secretary will also be participating in “focus groups” to be run by Sir Wyn Williams’ office as part of the inquiry.

At the invitation of Sir Wyn Williams, we met with him and his team on 3rd November. As you will be aware, we do have some reservations about the inquiry in that it was non-statutory and therefore Sir Wyn would not be able to compel witnesses, including ex Post Office Senior Directors to give evidence. However, we felt it was important to participate in the inquiry, including providing written submissions, as we are keen that the CWU’s voice is heard and hopefully we will be able to positively influence the outcome.

Furthermore, following internal discussions we identified an area of serious concern regarding the issue of Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs). Over the last few years, many Post Office Directors and senior Managers have left the business via a Settlement Agreement which contain legally binding NDAs. We felt that certain individuals could hide behind these NDAs as a convenient excuse not to give evidence to the inquiry. In addition, other key witnesses may have felt inhibited in coming forward for fear of legal action by the Post Office. We therefore wrote to Sir Wyn (letter attached) on 23rd November to raise our legitimate concerns directly with him and ask whether he could provide reassurances that those who may wish to participate in the inquiry would be fully protected legally if they were critical of the Post Office. Basically we wanted to ensure that the threat of the Post Office invoking the “gagging clause” in a NDA wouldn’t impact upon witnesses coming forward.

The response below was received from Sir Wyn on 8th December:

Dear Mr Furey,

I am writing you let you know that Post Office Limited has indicated it will waive any confidentiality obligations owed to the organisation by current or former postmasters/employees so that such individuals may engage freely with the Inquiry. The waiver is limited in purpose so it applies to any current or former postmaster or Post Office Limited employee who wants to engage with the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry.

The specific words that Post Office Limited used are, “Post Office is committed to helping the Inquiry meet its objectives. Consistent with that commitment, Post Office will not seek to enforce the terms of any non-disclosure agreement it may have with a past or present Post Office employee or postmaster so as to prevent him or her from assisting the Inquiry.

The scope and operation of any waiver will need to reflect the specific agreement entered into with the individual, given that the terms, rationale for them, and extent to which it might be appropriate to maintain them for matters outside of the Inquiry and its terms of reference, will be case specific. It would however reflect the overarching principle that Post Office will enable the individual to participate in the Inquiry free from any inhibition created by an NDA. Your proposal to publish the waivers is noted, and we welcome the opportunity to discuss with you how and when this could best be done (my emphasis in bold).”

I have said from the outset that transparency and fairness are important parts of how I want the Inquiry to proceed. With this in mind, you will note that I have copied Mr Williams (Head of Legal) and Mr Salter (Director) from the Post Office Limited into this correspondence so that they may see how I am conveying the result of my engagement with them about NDAs and the potentially inhibiting effect of these on individuals’ participation in the Inquiry. I sought a waiver in good faith and having received it I expect that it will be honoured. The waiver offered by Post Office Limited has a specific purpose and on this occasion I have chosen to communicate with you and add representatives of Post Office Limited as copy recipients so they may see that I am conveying what they have communicated to me. I neither sought nor have I received a broad waiver that enables current and former postmasters/Post Office Limited employees to breach the terms of an NDA with Post Office Limited for purposes outside participation in the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry and it is important that this is understood widely.

I take this all to mean that for any former or current postmaster or employee of Post Office Limited who may have felt unable to speak to me/the Inquiry because of an NDA with Post Office Limited may now do so without risk of any action by Post Office Limited in response to co-operation with the Inquiry.

Yours sincerely,

Sir Wyn Williams FLSW

Clearly the above is a positive development and in particular will provide guarantees that there will be no victimisation of anyone who may have otherwise been reticent about participating in the inquiry.

APPG

Last week I was invited to the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Post Offices meeting chaired by Marion Fellows MP. The Horizon inquiry was discussed in detail and Marion Fellows and Lord Arbuthnot explained that they had also recently met with Sir Wyn Williams. Alan Bates from the Justice for SubPostmasters Alliance (JFSA) gave an update as to the status of their complaint of “maladministration” against BEIS and the Government which was submitted to the parliamentary ombudsman on 1st December. We will be keeping a close eye on developments in this area.

Former CEO Paula Vennells to Step Down from NHS Role

On 3rd December, just 18 months into her four year term, former Post Office CEO Paula Vennells announced she was stepping down from her role as Chairman of Imperial College Healthcare Trust in April. The statement (via the Trust) in which Paula Vennells said this was a “personal decision” is contained within the following link:

https://www.imperial.nhs.uk/about-us/news/trust-chair-to-step-down-next-april

Clearly the pressure is mounting on Paula Vennells who held the Network Director and subsequently CEO role at the Post Office. During this time, a significant number of decisions were made with regards to the prosecution of Postmasters due to discrepancies in their accounts because of the faulty Horizon system. Ms Vennells still holds non-Executive Director roles at retailer Dunelm and the supermarket Morrison.

The following media articles were published in relation to the resignation from the NHS Trust:

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9028555/amp/Now-disgraced-ex-Post-Office-boss-Paula-Vennells-forced-55k-NHS-job.html?ito=amp_twitter_share-top&__twitter_impression=true

https://www.computerweekly.com/news/252493199/Post-Office-IT-scandal-CEO-Paula-Vennells-jumps-NHS-ship-as-pressure-mounts

https://www.postofficetrial.com/2020/12/vennells-steps-down-from-nhs-trust.html

Petition to Strip Paula Vennells of her CBE

Branches are advised there is also a petition (signed by 749 people at the time of writing this LTB) conducted by 38 Degrees circulating on social media with regards to stripping Paula Vennells of her CBE. The link is as follows:

Strip Paula Vennells of her CBE | 38 Degrees

Former Director Angela Van Den Bogerd appointed to FAW

Another former Senior Post Office Director, Angela Van Den Bogerd who Justice Fraser said obfuscated and misled the court in 2019 has recently been appointed as the Football Association of Wales’s new Head of People. The BBC published the following story on its website on 3rd December.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-55181709

In addition, an article was published in the Western Mail on 10th December and was picked up by Jack Sargeant MS, Welsh Labour politician for Alyn and Deeside in the following Tweet. Branches will note that Jack Sargeant is expecting “an answer to question I have asked the @FAWales”

https://twitter.com/JackSargeantAM/status/1336988423157112832

A further article appeared in Computer Weekly on 14th December:

Appointment of disgraced former Post Office executive at Welsh FA questioned by MP (computerweekly.com)

All of the above demonstrates that the Horizon scandal will continue to remain in the public eye and will run into 2021. Indeed Sir Wyn Williams is planning to publish his recommendations to his inquiry next summer which means that the long road to justice for hundreds of Postmasters will continue to take time. What is clear is that the spotlight is firmly on those people who are clearly accountable and this must continue, together with political pressure on the Government. It mustn’t be forgotten, this scandal has already cost the Post Office over £100m and this will continue to rise once compensation is awarded to those who are eventually exonerated at the Court of Appeal together with the six at Southwark Crown Court.

Further developments will be reported.

Yours sincerely

Andy Furey
Assistant Secretary

Attachment 1: LTB 594/20- Post Office – Horizon Scandal – Six Convictions Overturned

Attachment 2: 2020.11.23 Sir Wyn Williams – Non-Disclosure Agreements and Protection for Whistleblowers