Christopher Allan, postmaster at Drumchapel Post Office, pictured at front centre with Cllr Paul Carey at front right along with local residents gathered to protest against the proposed closure of Drumchapel Post Office. Photograph by Colin (Image: Colin Mearns)
A postmaster awarded £75,000 in the Horizon IT scandal has told how his family will be left jobless if threats to close his branch go ahead.
Christopher Allan, who is the owner of the Hecla Avenue branch in Drumchapel Shopping Centre, says he feels ‘betrayed and backstabbed’ amid fears that Post Office bosses are going to relocate his footfall to another shop.
The 36-year-old took over the business six years ago and has over 2000 residents coming through his doors every week. He says he was stunned to discover plans are being considered to close him down and move his counter elsewhere.
Chris says this is the latest blow from Post Office bosses after his life was almost ruined by the flawed Horizon accounting system used by the organisation.
Speaking exclusively to Clydebank Post, he said: “I have contacted management and begged them to tell me what is going to happen to my branch.
“The lack of transparency is horrendous, and I’ve been told if they are shutting it down, I’ll receive a letter giving me just four weeks’ notice to vacate. I’ve no idea when this will happen and it’s causing so much upset. I can’t even tell my customers if we will still be here in a few months because I just don’t know myself.”
Chris says the uncertainty is putting untold stress on his family, many of whom are employed within the branch.
He explained: “The mental stress and anxiety this is causing myself, my mum, sister and autistic nephew is utterly appalling.
“We are in limbo, and the livelihoods of a lot of people are hanging in the balance. I’ve given over 19 years of my life to the Post Office, and this is how I’m being treated. Clearly bosses have learned nothing from the Horizon scandal which cost lives, marriages and families to collapse, as well as innocent people being convicted for crimes they did not commit.”
Drumchapel and Anniesland councillor Paul Carey BEM and Patricia Ferguson MP have stepped in to help.
They are demanding a face-to-face meeting with Post Office management in a bid to get answers for Chris. They are also campaigning alongside the local community to halt any closure plans from progressing.
Cllr Carey told the Clydebank Post how Chris and his family are being treated is ‘beyond contempt’.
He added: “These are hardworking people who serve this area well. They need and deserve clarity about the future of their business. Their treatment to this point is beyond contempt, especially given that Chris is already a victim of the Horizon scandal.
“They have transformed the business, taking it from 800 customers to 2,200 a week. As the local councillor for the area, I’m 100 per cent opposed to the idea of moving this branch, never mind what it will do to Chris, his family and local people who rely on it.”
Management at the Post Office have so far only offered the politicians an online meeting to discuss the matter.
Councillor Carey said: “I have refused this. This needs to be done face-to-face to enable Chris and his family to get the answers they deserve.”
More than 700 sub-postmasters were prosecuted across the UK, including up to 100 in Scotland, for theft and false accounting between 2000 and 2014 because of the now infamous Horizon IT system.
The UK Government says it has doubled the number of payments made to former sub-postmasters, with approximately £768 million given to over 5,100 claimants across four schemes.
Chris explains: “I had to put money in my till because of the shortfalls that kept appearing in the system. The Post Office knew it was faulty but when I raised concerns, I was told this was only happening to me. They made out that no one else was having issues, which we know now was totally false.
“I was eventually paid out £75,000 a few months ago. Four weeks later I heard that my branch was being considered for closure.
“The Horizon scandal was hard enough, this is just another kick in the teeth. Local jobs will be lost and a family business will simply be discarded with no consideration of the community or people’s livelihoods.”
A Post Office spokesperson said that Chris will be notified first of any changes to services in the area.
They added: “We would like to apologise for any distress caused to the postmaster operating Hecla Avenue Post Office. They have been operating the branch in recent years, which has maintained vital Post Office services to this community, and we are very grateful for our postmaster’s ongoing support. We continue to look for a permanent solution to safeguard services to the community in the long-term, however, we are not close to being able to announce any proposal.
"In advance of any announcement on proposed changes we would certainly make sure that our postmaster is fully informed of these. In the meantime, Hecla Avenue Post Office will continue to operate from its current location.”