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Further step towards full and fair redress as new appeal permissions process to be established.
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Change responds to recommendation from Horizon Inquiry chair Sir Wyn Williams, with claimants encouraged to seek legal advice ahead of launch.
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New process for Horizon shortfall cases where records are incomplete or unavailable to also be created following report published today.
Postmasters affected by the Horizon scandal who have accepted a £75,000 Fixed Sum Offer (FSO) and believe they were owed more will be able to seek permission to appeal through a new process set to launch later this year.
This change comes directly in response to recommendations from Sir Wyn Williams in his first Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry report, where he made the case that claimants should be able to access a fully funded and independent appeals process. In response, the Government promised to deliver this so that those who have taken offers via the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS) don’t miss out on the full and fair redress they are owed.
So far, more than £940 million has been paid in redress to over 11,000 claimants on the Horizon Shortfall Scheme (HSS), with an additional £11 million paid in award uplifts via the DBT-run HSS Appeals scheme.
Those who take part will be able to seek permission from an independent person to appeal their FSO award in the HSS Appeals process. Claimants will be able to receive free legal advice and support, and crucially will not risk being paid less that the £75,000 they have already received.
The process will be as light touch as possible to minimise burden on claimants. Applicants will make their application by submitting a concise explanation in writing and will not be required to submit supporting evidence unless they wish to.
Post Office Minister Blair McDougall said
Many postmasters lost their livelihoods as a result of this scandal and the least they deserve is to know the redress they received was fair.
This new process gives those who accepted the Fixed Sum Offer a real opportunity to have their case looked at again, with free legal support.
If you strongly believe you’re owed more, I encourage you to seek legal advice.
Alongside announcing this change, Ministers have accepted recommendations from the Independent Senior Lawyer Sir Gary Hickinbottom following his review of Horizon Shortfall Scheme Fixed Sum Offer cases in which there is no ready evidence of a shortfall.
New guidance will also be published, outlining the procedures for managing and processing these cases to ensure claimants have a clear understanding of how their claims will be handled.
To qualify for this process there must be evidence that it is more likely than not that a Horizon shortfall took place. The new process will include guidance to Post Office about how to seek shortfall evidence on a gradual basis and will emphasise that the test might sometimes require less evidence than would be needed in other circumstances.
Notes to editors
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This process responds to Recommendation 9 of the Post Office Horizon IT Inquiry Volume 1 report, published in July 2025, which the Government accepted in its October 2025 response.
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Claimants who want to appeal are encouraged to seek legal advice now, ahead of the opening of the scheme, so they are ready to apply.
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In December 2025, Sir Gary Hickinbottom was appointed as the Independent Senior Lawyer to the HSS. The Department for Business and Trade and Post Office referred the handling of cases without shortfall evidence to the ISL for review.
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The latest stats on redress can be found here – Post Office Horizon financial redress data as of 30 April 2026 – GOV.UK