New research has estimated the value of Companies House data to users at up to £3 billion per year.

The findings have been published in a report commissioned by Companies House and BEIS, and sets out how the data benefits businesses, consumers and wider society.

Companies House incorporates and dissolves limited companies. We also register company information and make it available to the public. There are currently more than 4 million companies on our register and more than 600,000 new companies are incorporated each year.

Last year the Companies House register was accessed more than 6 billion times.

The report outlines the value of Companies House data for different types of user, assesses the changes in those values over time, and identifies the specific pieces of data that generate the greatest user value.

The research identified 3 main types of user:

1. Direct users, such as companies, creditors, investors and researchers, that use Companies House data to access information about registered companies in the UK.
2. Commercial users or ‘intermediaries’, who use Companies House data as an input to their own data products and services. This category includes credit reference agencies and other providers of financial data and information.
3. Providers of public goods, such as government departments or law enforcement organisations, who use the information during policy or investigative work.

The report found that:

• in total, the annual user benefits of Companies House data are estimated to be between £1 billion and £3 billion per year
• the annual benefit to direct users of Companies House data is estimated to be around £2,000 per user per year
• larger and mid-sized groups of commercial or ‘intermediary’ users attributed £23 million of their revenues to the use of Companies House data

The report also carries testimonials from a government department, a transparency campaign group and a law enforcement agency. All 3 highlighted the importance of Companies House data to their work.

Louise Smyth, Chief Executive at Companies House, said:

As one of the most open registers in the world, we know that by making the information accessible more people will use it. Last year alone our data was accessed more than 6 billion times.

This research now shows how incredibly valuable Companies House information is to data consumers, ultimately helping to drive confidence in the UK economy.

Company failed to finance the cost of waste electrical electronic equipment collection and treatment

On Tuesday 24th September at South Tyneside Magistrates Court a former Northumberland-based recycling business and its director were ordered to pay a combined amount of £54,365 in fines and compensation after being found guilty of failing to comply with legal obligations.

This follows an investigation by the Environment Agency (EA) resulting in Northern Compliance Ltd and its director Vincent Francis Eckerman pleading guilty for their failure to finance the cost of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) collection, treatment, recovery or disposal of household WEEE items, as per their obligations in 2017.

Northern Compliance was an EA approved WEEE compliance scheme established to assist businesses meet their producer obligations under the WEEE Regulations.

There were two charges recorded, one against Northern Compliance Ltd and the second against Vincent Eckerman as company director.

For the period of 31 December 2016 and 1 April 2018, Northern Compliance Ltd also failed to pay the WEEE Compliance Fee Fund a substantial amount estimated to be in the region of £1,108,862, payment of which would have resulted in them conforming to their obligations under the WEEE regulations for 2017.

Director of Northern Compliance Ltd, Mr. Vincent Eckerman, aged 59 of Castlefield, Prudhoe told the court the company missed its WEEE collection targets due to a ‘perfect storm’ of problems with suppliers. Mr. Eckerman then realised he would be unable to pay the compliance fee as he hadn’t been prepared for the sum to be as high as it was.

The penalties included the company being ordered to pay £50,900 in compensation to the WEEE Compliance Fee Fund, where the compliance fee should have initially been paid by 31 March 2018.

The second charge saw Mr. Eckerman being ordered to pay a £2,295 fine with a £170 victim surcharge and £1,000 court costs.

Prosecuting for the Environment Agency, Rebecca Chalkley told the court that Mr. Eckerman had flagrantly disregarded the law, and his arguments stating he was not to blame amounted to “smoke and mirrors”.

When sentencing Northern Compliance Ltd and Mr. Eckerman, District Judge Begley commented “I found his evidence verbose and lacking in clarity…he simply has not done what I would expect of a man with his experience…and he had been reckless and significantly undermined the regulatory regime.”

District Judge Begley further commented that the figures he imposed for fines and compensation would have been higher had the defendants had the ability to pay.

Electrical and electronic equipment (EEE) is regulated to reduce the amount of waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) incinerated or sent to landfill sites.

Reduction is achieved through various measures which encourage the recovery, reuse and recycling of products and components.

David O’Toole, Regulated Industry Programme Manager for the Environment Agency, said:

Rules and regulations are in place for people and organisations to abide by and when those legalities are broken we aim to bring the perpetrators to justice. In this case, Northern Compliance Ltd have paid the ultimate price as the company is no longer trading having had its authorisation revoked and Mr Eckerman now has a criminal conviction.

We respect the sentencing restrictions with which the Judge had to work to in this case. This prosecution shows that where a Producer Compliance Scheme fails to meet their financing obligations under the WEEE Regulations, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to take robust enforcement action against Compliance Schemes and individuals, to prevent the WEEE Regulatory regime being undermined.

Hopefully this will make other companies in a similar position of responsibility think twice about breaking the law and pay their compliance fees.

This appointment has been approved by Andrea Leadsom, the Secretary of State for the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

Tom Smith, the Chair of the NDA, said:

I am delighted that Michelle is joining us in support of our vital work decommissioning 17 complex nuclear sites across Wales, Scotland and England.  She has a wealth of relevant and current experience in the nuclear industry which will be a great addition to the Board’s capability.

Michelle Heath has a 20-year track record in the nuclear industry having previously worked for BNFL, Springfields Fuels and Westinghouse Toshiba. 

She has wide experience in the UK and internationally, with a strong focus on waste management, treatment and storage. At Westinghouse, Michelle was the Global Product Manager for residues treatment and prior to that she held a number of senior roles at the Springfields nuclear fuel fabrication plant in Lancashire. Michelle holds an MBA and BSc from Lancaster University.

Published 27 September 2019