A UK staffing company has collapsed into liquidation, owing HMRC almost £750,000. Hartley White Limited, a Norfolk-based firm that provided agency staff, appointed liquidators earlier this month after a winding-up petition was filed by HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) over unpaid tax debts. The company, which was formed in 2013, owed £742,711, including VAT and employee National Insurance contributions, according to its statement of affairs.
Run by sole director Gary White, the business employed over 100 people, its latest records on Companies House suggest. Creditors and members appointed Jeffrey Brenner, of London-based insolvency firm Antony Batty, as liquidator for the company, which is based in the Union Building in Norwich, on March 2.
Liquidation typically means a business ceases trading and its assets are sold to repay creditors, as opposed to administrations, where efforts might be made to rescue the business or secure a sale.
Creditors’ Voluntary Liquidations (CVL), when shareholders decide to put a company into liquidation but don’t have enough assets to pay the creditors, accounted for 78% of overall UK insolvencies in February.
This marked an 11% month-on-month increase from January, but was 3% lower than the same time last year, official government data suggests.
The number of firms collapsing into administration also jumped by almost a third last month, according to the Insolvency Service.
The agency said company administrations rose 30% year-on-year to 156 in February, maintaining the high levels recorded in January, when 152 firms called in administrators.
Insolvencies across the board were 7% higher last month compared to January, but 7% lower on an annual basis.
The Express has contacted Antony Batty for comment.
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