News story: Durham Armed Forces Forum: better supporting a talented and complex veteran community

VAPC NEs Michael Potts attended the Durham Armed Forces Forum as the board’s representative. This forum was held at Durham County Council’s headquarters and was chaired by Gordon Elliot, the Council’s Head of Partnerships & Community Engagement. The forum was supported by:

Ian Hunter Smart, the Councils’ Voluntary & Community Sector Officer
Councillor Lucy Hovvels MBE
Councillor Jane Brown, the Council’s Armed Forces Champion

Cabinet Portfolio Holder for Social Inclusion were in attendance and made a meaningful contribution to the forum’s work.

This lively event drew 23 attendees from the NHS, Royal Navy, army, police, service charities, social housing groups, rehabilitation service, social housing, and veterans.

For the VAPC NE the Durham events are a vital part in the VAPC’s ongoing mission to improve the understanding of the needs of the veteran and armed forces community and how best practice can be spread and veteran support be better delivered.

The forum explored issues relating to new ways to support veterans within the criminal justice system. The new Durham Tees Valley Community Rehabilitation Company, a non-profitmaking company, outlined their work to develop local contacts to help them maximise their veteran support services.

Lt Col Nathan Teale, 8th Battalion the Rifles, made a presentation on the work they are doing to en-gage veterans. The Battalion is the newest in the army being formed on the 1 November 2017 and is undergoing rapid expansion locally. They are keen to encourage veterans to join the Battalion seeing them as a valuable pool of talent which brings with them the experience needed to help with their mission.

Equally important are the links to the local community and the local regimental associations which are seen key to the Battalion’s culture and memory. They form a vital part in preserving the proud and long history of the Durham Light Infantry, an illustrious predecessor of the 8th Battalion.

For the VAPC NE this understanding of the value of veterans as ‘history keepers’ and as an active, experienced group has been something they have pushed for many years.

TrueView Spouses Employment Project, a Finchale project funded by the Armed Forces Covenant Fund, discussed their mission to help spouses and dependents of working age of serving military personnel and hard to reach people find employment, gain UK recognised qualifications for those with foreign qualifications, and to support people looking to improve their circumstances.

The new Armed Forces Outreach Service, a Local Authority Partnership, made a presentation. Made up of Durham, Northumbria, and Tyneside Councils, this service seeks to be ‘holistic’ in providing help and advice to veterans. They actively engage with veterans, and soon to be veter-ans, to provide them with the help they need. They started in November 2017 but since then they have provided mental health referrals, rehoused veterans, provided supported accommodation, helped pay off debts and council tax arrears, and have provided goods to set up home. This innovative and wide ranging scheme actively seeks to help and support veterans in an inclusive and engaging way

For the VAPC NE the Durham Armed Forces Forum is an important way to understand what supvport and help is out there for the armed forces community and to share that knowledge to the wider community. With the support of the Forum members new and innovative ways to support veterans and the wider armed forces community were explored and developed.

The VAPC NE has spent years promoting the idea that veterans are not a problem. Veterans are of any age and have the experience, talent, and interests to make a valuable contribution to their community. The Forum understood this multifaceted nature of the armed forces community and was a valuable move towards a more integrated way to empower and to help the total armed forces community.

Notice: DT2 7TU, Mole Valley Feed Solutions Ltd: environmental permit issued

The Environment Agency publish permits that they issue under the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED).

This decision includes the permit/surrender letter and decision document for:

Operator name: Mole Valley Feed Solutions Ltd
Installation name: Dorchester Mill
Permit number: EPR/GP3535AH/A001

Notice: CB4 0FP, Johnson Matthey Plc: environmental permit application advertisement

The Environment Agency consults the public on certain applications for waste operations, mining waste operations, installations, water discharge and groundwater activities. The arrangements are explained in its Public Participation Statement

These notices explain:

what the application is about
how you can view the application documents
when you need to comment by

The Environment Agency will decide:

whether to grant or refuse the application
what conditions to include in the permit (if granted)

News story: University laundry services merger could reduce competition

JLA New Equityco Limited (JLA) acquired Washstation Limited (Washstation) in May 2017. Both firms rent out and maintain washing machines and tumble dryers to universities, colleges and student accommodation providers for use by students.

The CMA (Competition and Markets Authority) started investigating after receiving a complaint about the completed merger.

It found that JLA and Washstation were the two main suppliers of managed laundry services to higher education customers, with a combined share of supply of more than 90%. Prior to the merger, JLA and Washstation were each other’s closest competitor and they faced limited pressure from other competitors.

The CMA considered whether other companies would enter or expand in the market to challenge the merged entity but found that, although some competitors had indicated an intention to grow, this could not be relied on to offset the adverse effects of the merger.

The Authority is concerned that the merger may substantially lessen competition in the supply of managed laundry services to higher education customers, leading to higher prices, lower quality or less innovation in these services. This could result in students paying more or getting a worse quality of service.

This case will now be referred for an in-depth phase 2 investigation by an independent group of CMA panel members unless JLA is able to offer a solution at this stage to address the competition concerns.

Press release: 6 pension and finance companies placed in provisional liquidation

The companies, involved in the operation of occupational pension schemes, were placed into provisional liquidation by the High Court.

They include Fast Pensions Ltd, which is the sponsoring employer of 15 pension schemes, and FP Scheme Trustees Ltd, which is the trustee of the pension schemes. The remaining four companies are entities into which some of the pension scheme funds have been invested.

The orders placing the companies into provisional liquidation followed a hearing at the High Court on 29 March 2018 of an application issued by the Insolvency Service on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy.

The Official Receiver has been appointed the provisional liquidator and has responsibilities to protect assets in the possession or under the control of the companies pending the determination of the petitions.

As provisional liquidator of the trustee to the pension schemes the Official Receiver:

will take steps to protect the investments and assets in the pension schemes
will not make investment decisions during the period of appointment
is unable to provide updates regarding individual’s pensions or to authorise transfers out of the schemes or any payments out of the schemes, including death benefits
is unable to provide advice to pension members regarding their pensions

Members of the pension schemes who require advice should consider contacting a solicitor, a regulated financial advisor or the Pensions Advisory Service (TPAS) on: 0300 123 1047; email: virtual.appointments@pensionsadvisoryservice.org.uk.

If you are a member of one of the pension schemes, the Official Receiver is requesting that you register your interest by email to piu.north@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk providing the following information:

name
contact details
the pension scheme you are member of
the date and amount of your investment

The provisional liquidator has the power to investigate the affairs of the companies as necessary to protect assets including any third party, or trust monies, or assets in the possession of, or under the control of the companies.

The case is now subject to High Court action and no further information will be made available until petitions to wind up the companies are heard in the High Court on 30 May 2018.

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the companies should be made to: The Official Receiver, Public Interest Unit, 2 Floor, 3 Piccadilly Place, London Road, Manchester, M1 3BN.

Notes to editors

The six companies in provisional liquidation are:

Fast Pensions Ltd – company registration number 08121954 – was incorporated on 28 June 2012. The company’s registered office is at Crown House, 27 Old Gloucester Street, London WC1N 3AX
FP Scheme Trustees Ltd – company registration number 09126225 – was incorporated on 11 July 2014. The company’s registered office is at 20-22 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU
Blu Debt Management Ltd – company registration number 06699233 – was incorporated on 16 September 2008. The company’s registered office is at Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington WA2 7JQ
Blu Financial Services Ltd – company registration number 05912973 – was incorporated on 22 August 2006. The company’s registered office is at Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington WA2 7JQ
Blu Personal Finance Ltd – company registration number 07758290 – was incorporated on 31 August 2011. The company’s registered office is at Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington WA2 7JQ
Umbrella Loans Ltd – company registration number 07331044 – was incorporated on 30 July 2010. The company’s registered office is at Gilbert Wakefield House, 67 Bewsey Street, Warrington WA2 7JQ

The 15 pension schemes involved are:

Broughton Retirement Plan
DM1 Retirement Plan
Elphinstone Retirement Plan
EP1 Retirement Plan
Fleming Retirement Plan
FP1 Retirement Plan
FP2 Retirement Plan
FP3 Retirement Plan
Galileo Retirement Plan
Golden Arrow Retirement Plan
Leafield Retirement Plan
Springdale Retirement Plan
Talisman Retirement Plan
Templar Retirement Plan
VRSEB Retirement Plan

The petitions were presented under s124A of the Insolvency Act 1986. The Official Receiver was appointed as provisional liquidator of the companies on 29 March 2018 by HHJ Pelling, a Judge of the High Court.

Company Investigations, part of the Insolvency Service, uses powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK on behalf of the Secretary of State for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS). Further information about live company investigations is available here.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by BEIS, administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities, both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

The agency also authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available here.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7674 6910 or 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on: