George Fry (36), from Glasgow, was the sole director and shareholder of Connect Pavers Limited. Incorporated in September 2015, the company carried out domestic and industrial groundwork contracts.

However, just two years later in October 2017, Connect Pavers entered into liquidation following a petition at Glasgow Sheriff Court by the tax authorities for an unpaid bill of more than £140,000.

Insolvency practitioners were tasked with winding-up Connect Pavers but George Fry failed to ensure the company maintained adequate accounting records and as a result, the company could not deliver any records to the liquidator. He also caused Connect Pavers to pay no taxes throughout the two-years the company was in operation.

Further work by the Insolvency Service found that between 18 May 2016 and 3 November 2016 George Fry withdrew £101,100 from the company’s account but because he failed to maintain adequate accounting records, George Fry could not adequately explain whether these transactions were legitimate or not.

On 19 December 2018, at Glasgow Sheriff Court, Sheriff Anwar granted a disqualification order for a period of 7 years.

Effective from 10 January 2019, George Fry is banned from directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company.

Robert Clarke, Chief Investigator for the Insolvency Service, said:

From day one, George Fry had a responsibility to ensure the company maintained proper accounting records and pay the correct levels of taxes. But he failed on both accounts, amounting to a dereliction of duty.

Seven years is a substantial ban, severely restricting George Fry’s activities, and we hope others take heed that we can stop people from running companies if they do not take their directorship duties seriously.

Mr George Fry is of Glasgow and his date of birth is 19 June 1982

Connect Pavers Limited (Company Reg no. SC516148).

A disqualification order has the effect that without specific permission of a court, a person with a disqualification cannot:

• act as a director of a company
• take part, directly or indirectly, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership
• be a receiver of a company’s property

Disqualification undertakings are the administrative equivalent of a disqualification order but do not involve court proceedings.

Persons subject to a disqualification order are bound by a range of other restrictions.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, 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.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

The Kark review of the fit and proper persons test was led by Tom Kark QC. It includes 7 recommendations for how the government can better support NHS senior leaders to deliver high-quality and safe care in the NHS.

Of these recommendations, the government has accepted in principle to:

• set up a central database of information about the qualifications, previous employment and performance of directors
• make new competency standards to help people know what to expect of senior managers

The remaining recommendations will be considered as part of the workforce implementation plan later this year, which will be led by Baroness Harding, chair of NHS Improvement.

These include:

• setting up a new organisation that can suspend directors who are found to have committed serious misconduct, such as bullying and harassment of staff
• requiring old employers to provide references to potential new employers

The Department of Health and Social Care commissioned Tom Kark QC, previously counsel to the Mid Staffordshire public inquiry, to lead a review into the effectiveness of the NHS fit and proper persons test last year.

The test is overseen by the Care Quality Commission as part of their regular inspections of NHS trusts and aims to ensure executive-level managers are fit to carry out their roles to the highest standard.

It came under scrutiny following a report into the severe failures at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust between 2010 and 2014, where poor leadership was found to have resulted in a widespread culture of bullying and harassment and declining patient care.

The government accepted the call from Dr Bill Kirkup for a wider review into the fit and proper persons test, following his examination of the failures at Liverpool Community Health NHS Trust.

Prime Minister Theresa May said:

The UK is one of the founding members of NATO and I am very pleased that the Secretary General has asked us to host a meeting of NATO leaders this year to mark its 70th anniversary.

For 70 years NATO has been the cornerstone of our national security. But today’s challenges are very different from those we faced when the Alliance established its first headquarters in London.

The UK has played a central role throughout NATO’s history as it has adapted to deal with new and complex threats to our security.

So as we pay tribute to the service men and women who have worked so hard over so many years to keep us safe, December’s meeting is an important opportunity to determine the steps we must now take to modernise the Alliance and ensure its continued success.

Published 6 February 2019

Communities across the UK will benefit from greener journeys thanks to 263 new low emission buses, Minister Nusrat Ghani will announce today (Wednesday 6 February 2019). A £48 million investment from the Office for Low Emission Vehicles will fund new green vehicles and infrastructure to drive forward government plans to clean up the air in towns and cities.

Speaking at the UK Bus Summit this morning, the minister will also announce a new partnership with Greener Journeys to reflect the pivotal role played by the bus industry in tackling loneliness and social isolation.

The partnership will see companies across the sector pledge to do all they can to tackle loneliness, including through innovative vehicle design and initiatives to encourage bus passengers to talk to each other.

Buses Minister Nusrat Ghani said:

Buses are far more than a way of getting from A to B. They are a crucial tool in the fight against loneliness and it is good to see the industry taking steps to tackle isolation.

This government is doing more than ever before to reduce emissions across all modes of transport and I’m delighted to see the bus industry putting itself at the forefront of this.

Nineteen successful bidders across England and Wales will receive funding to purchase new low emission buses and supporting infrastructure, such as charge points.

Benefits of Ultra Low emission buses

This is the latest funding in a long line of investment designed to drive the uptake of zero emission vehicles, following the government’s £1.5 billion Road to Zero strategy published last year.

In line with the Future of Mobility Grand Challenge – set out in the government’s modern Industrial Strategy – these measures chart a path for Britain to become a world leader in the zero-emission revolution, ensuring that the UK has cleaner air, a better environment and a stronger economy.

But buses are not just about cleaning up the air in our towns and cities. As a key mode of transport for older and vulnerable people, buses play a vital role in facilitating social connections.

The government also supports bus travel through a £250 million investment every year, as well as a further £1 billion for the free bus pass scheme, paving the way to a more sustainable future.

On top of this, there have already been several promising schemes launched by the bus sector, including Go Ahead Group’s ‘Chatty Bus’ campaign, encouraging conversations between passengers, and ‘Hattie,’ a community bus from Stagecoach specifically designed to provide a friendly environment where people can chat to others.

Claire Haigh, Chief Executive, Greener Journeys, said:

We’re delighted to be partnering with the government to tackle the epidemic of loneliness affecting millions of people in the UK. Research from Greener Journeys shows that a third of people in Britain go at least a day a week without speaking to anyone – not a friend, colleague or family member.

Buses play a vital role in facilitating social connections among the most vulnerable people, who rely on them to take them to visit friends and family. It’s fantastic to see the industry come together to launch such a brilliant range of initiatives to address the problem of loneliness.

The Prime Minister launched the government’s first loneliness strategy in October 2018, as a vital first step in a national mission to end loneliness in our lifetimes. Loneliness is one of the greatest public health challenges of our time and the strategy, which responds to the findings of the Jo Cox Commission, sets out a range of initiatives to help all age groups build connections.

Terence Coventry (39), from Gainsborough, Lincolnshire, was appointed the sole director of Alliance Traffic Services Limited in April 2016 before he caused the company to enter into a factoring agreement a month later.

The factoring agreement, which Terence Coventry personally guaranteed, set out the terms where an independent finance company would buy Alliance Traffic Service’s invoices in return for advanced finances.

However, between May 2016 and March 2017, Terence Coventry abused his position of trust as a director and caused of Alliance Traffic Service to breach the terms and conditions of the factoring agreement, despite being personally liable.

He failed to ensure company sales invoices were correctly produced and some customers paid money directly to Alliance Traffic Service’s bank account despite it being due to the factoring company. This resulted in the finance company losing more than £177,000

Alliance Traffic Service entered into compulsory liquidation and was wound up in November 2017. With a substantial shortfall owed, the finance company made claims against guarantees Terence Coventry was personally liable for and in January 2018, Terence Coventry was made bankrupt as he could not afford to pay the debt.

Bankruptcy restrictions, such as declaring bankrupt status when borrowing more than £500, typically last until your bankruptcy ends after 12 months. However, the Insolvency Service applied to have Terrence Coventry’s bankruptcy restrictions extended due to his abuse of trust and causing the finance company to lose thousands of pounds.

This led to Lincoln County Court on 10 January 2019 making a Bankruptcy Restrictions Order against Terence Coventry, which means his restrictions last for seven years.

Mr Coventry did not attend the hearing.

Gerard O’Hare, Official Receiver for the Insolvency Service, said:

Terence Coventry’s conduct in running his business fell well below the standards required of an individual in business and this led to his insolvency. The seven-year restriction should help protect the business community and act as a warning to others not to act in this way.

Terence Coventry is of Gainsborough and his date of birth is July 1979.

Alliance Traffic Service (Company Reg No: 09090168)

These are restrictions set out in insolvency law that the bankrupt is subject to until they are discharged from bankruptcy. Further guidance is available on GOV.UK.

The Insolvency Service, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (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. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on: