The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) and Post Office Ltd have jointly encouraged current and former postmasters to come forward with evidence as an independent investigation into the controversial Network Transformation Programme gets underway.
The investigation, led by Adam Tolley KC, will examine allegations of coercion, bullying and the provision of unregulated financial advice during the Network Transformation Programme, which ran between 2010 and 2019. It is separate from the ongoing Horizon IT Public Inquiry.
In a joint statement published on Thursday (30 July), the NFSP and Post Office said the inquiry represents an important opportunity for postmasters to share their experiences and help establish a full understanding of what took place.
The organisations urged anyone with relevant information to contact the independent investigation team directly and assured participants that evidence would be handled confidentially.
According to the statement, any information submitted will be received by Adam Tolley KC and his independent legal team, who report to the Department for Business and Trade. If investigators need to seek further information from the Post Office, they will only do so with the individual's knowledge and consent.
The Post Office also sought to reassure postmasters concerned that confidentiality clauses or non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) might prevent them from giving evidence.
The organisation said it was not aware of any NDA or contractual provision that would stop postmasters from speaking to the investigation and confirmed it would not rely on any such agreements to prevent individuals from providing information to the inquiry.
However, it said postmasters should continue to respect any confidentiality obligations unrelated to the investigation, such as those covering customers' personal data or other commercially sensitive information.
The statement added that information shared with the investigation would only be disclosed within a small, dedicated Post Office team responsible for responding to the inquiry, and would not be shared more widely across the organisation, including with operational teams or local contacts.
The NFSP also announced a series of meetings on the National Review of the Network Transformation Programme, where postmasters can seek advice before engaging with the investigation. The sessions will be attended by NFSP representatives and its legal advisers, Howe + Co, with no Post Office staff present.
The next meetings are scheduled to take place in Glasgow on 5 August and Belfast on 6 August.
If you would like to submit evidence relevant to the allegations, please email it to NTPInvestigation@businessandtrade.gov.uk