Godshill Post Office and Village Stores is run by Island Community Ventures, the trading arm of charity Community Action Isle of Wight. Godshill acts as the main post office and has ‘under its wing’ three other post offices at Brading, Wooton and Totland. The Post Office claims that its Horizon IT system is reporting discrepancies in the transactions, accounting and stocktaking management system attributable to Godshill.
This is the same IT system that provided the data leading to the wrongful prosecution of many hundreds of local post masters for fraud, theft and false accounting. It took some 15 years to have these prosecutions overturned in the high court.
Based on data from this Horizon IT system, the Post Office is calling for Island Community Ventures to repay sums in excess of £20,000.
Director of Island Community Ventures and CEO of parent charity Community Action Isle of Wight, Mike Bulpitt said: “We seem to be in a position where we are at the mercy of a computer system that is simply not working properly.
Two years ago, when Godshill Post Office was under threat of closure due to its financial situation, discussions between Mike Bulpitt and Godshill Parish Council lead to the council agreeing to underwrite a third of any losses up to a maximum amount of £5,000 a year. It is unclear as to whether this arrangement is still in place as the council do not publish their detailed financial records.
Island Community Ventures says it does not have the £20,000 and are happy to share any financial records to demonstrate it. You can read more in the County Press – CLICK/TAP HERE.
Also on the Island Community Ventures website – CLICK/TAP HERE.