Bicycle Delivery (for posting parcels)
If you run a local business, considering using bicycle delivery services (rather than big van companies) to post local parcels. Examples are Three Bags Full (Bath) and Pedal & Post (Oxford) use bike delivery (the latter combines with trains for intercity).
It takes longer to post letters abroad, due to snow or mountains. In Chile, some letters take so long to get there due to the Andes, that people often just take the bus to deliver in person!
What was the Post Office Scandal About?
You’ve likely heard on the news (or watched the film) about the recent Post Office scandal, which has tarred the reputation of our national post office.
Thankfully the victims are hopefully to be financially compensated. But many have been left with mental health problems, and some have died since, so will not see justice.
The Post Office scandal stands as one of the biggest miscarriages of justice in recent British history. It affected hundreds of sub-postmasters and postmistresses, costing them their jobs, reputations, and in some cases, their freedom.
In the late 1990s, a flawed accounting system led to users reporting shortfalls they could not explain. Rather than trusting staff, the Post Office relied on the system data, and believing a computer over people led to over 700 sub-postmasters and postmistresses (over 20 years) faced accusations of theft, fraud, and false accounting. Many were prosecuted, and some lost their jobs, homes and life savings.
Several went to prison, while others died before their names could be cleared. There were suicides linked to the shame and pressure brought by the accusations. Yet, for years, the Post Office refused to accept any fault, blaming individuals for what the IT system had caused.
In 2019, Mr Bates and others took action, and after a long legal battle, a High Court judgement found that the Horizon system was flawed and unreliable.
The case is now taught as an example of what happens when large companies ignore the real-world impact of their systems on people’s lives.
