NFSP Chair Tim Boothman’s speech to open Annual Conference

NFSP Chair Tim Boothman opened this year’s NFSP Annual Conference by talking about the future of the post office network and how everybody needs to work together moving forward.

Around 70 delegates are attending their first NFSP Conference, and Tim spoke before the Retail Event got this year’s Conference underway.

Tim said: “I’d like to welcome everybody. There’s lots of familiar faces and lots of new faces as well.

“What a year it has been since the last Conference. The two main reasons are the ongoing public Inquiry into the horrific revelations of the last 20-odd years but also the ITV drama Mr Bates vs the Post Office.

“It’s very good that it has been brought to the public’s attention but there is another side to it. While the public Inquiry is going on and newspapers are quite rightly reporting, it’s important all victims are given full redress and compensation for the horrific way they were treated before the GLO.

“There is another thing, and not many people are looking forward to the future. What happens when the Inquiry is finished, and all compensation is paid?

“What about the network of today and the network of tomorrow?

“It could be argued the past Post Office Ltd board and general executives failed postmasters. There’s plenty of evidence of that but who is coming up with the way forward.

“I think it should be you (postmasters). That’s the reason you are here because you care about the post office network going forward.

“This is the first day, the start of your future going forward.

“After the feedback from last year’s Conference, we’ve made a few changes and have got new ideas.

“Tomorrow we’ve got a Q&A panel, with Post Office Chief Executive Nick Read, Postal Affairs Minister Kevin Hollinrake, an independent panellist in Darren Burns and the NFSP Chief Executive Calum Greenhow.

“We have to start thinking differently, about the network we want.

“It’s our investments in this network which will shape what it looks like in two, five, 10 years’ time.

“Enjoy your Conference but treat it with the respect and seriousness it deserves.

“We are all in this together, only unity and collaboration will bring about the necessary change this network requires.”