Sir Alan Bates given ‘take it or leave it’ offer of less than half his Post Office Horizon claim

Sir Alan Bates, who led the 20-year campaign for justice for post office operators over the Horizon scandal, has revealed he has been handed a “take it or leave it” compensation offer of less than half his original claim. More than 900 post office operators were convicted of offences including fraud, false accounting and theft between 1999 and 2015 after the faulty Horizon IT system falsely showed that money was missing in branch accounts. He said he was given a final “take it or leave it” offer, which amounted to 49.2% of his original claim after appealing and being referred to the scheme’s independent reviewer, Sir Ross Cranston. after newsletter promotionPost office operators can also seek a final view from Cranston, a former high court judge, if they believe the panel has got it wrong. The Post Office said individual payouts will be capped at £5,000, although higher claims may still be pursued.