Update: October 2025 – Chancellor Under Pressure to Save Pubs

Only 50% of pubs are operating at a profit
Licensed Insolvency Practitioner Antony Batty reports on how a restructuring procedure could protect pubs against closure.
Update: Insolvencies Hit 30-Year High in September 2025

Since the original publication of this article in April, the insolvency landscape has worsened significantly. September 2025 saw some 2,000 corporate insolvencies in England and Wales, the highest monthly figure in over 30 years. This sharp rise reflects the cumulative impact of rising labour costs, persistent inflation, and weakening consumer confidence. With the Autumn 2025 […]
The Personal Financial Risk for Directors Is Increasing: What Do Directors Need to Know?

Why are Directors facing greater personal financial risk? In recent years, both HMRC and Companies House have been granted enhanced powers to pursue directors personally for company-related liabilities. These powers are no longer theoretical. They are being actively used, and directors – especially those of struggling or insolvent companies – are increasingly finding themselves exposed […]
Why are Overdrawn Directors’ Loan Accounts currently under the spotlight?

Insolvency Practitioners are reporting a sharp rise in cases involving Overdrawn Directors Loan accounts (DLAs) – a trend that reflects both the volume of corporate failures and the growing scrutiny of directors’ financial conduct. With high numbers of companies entering liquidation and increased regulatory enforcement following the misuse of Covid support schemes, DLAs have become […]
UPDATE – September 2025: Covid Repayment Window Opens. What do Directors Need to Know?

(Published 12th September 2025 – This update sits above our original March 2025 article on Covid loan repayments, which remains unchanged below.) On 12th September 2025, the Government announced a new Voluntary Repayment Scheme, giving businesses (and individuals) until 31st December 2025 to repay any Covid-related financial support they were not entitled to or no […]
Hospitality businesses under pressure: why turnover is vanity and profit is sanity

It’s no secret that the hospitality sector is facing one of its toughest periods in recent memory. From pubs and restaurants to cafés and catering firms, businesses across the UK are grappling with rising costs, shrinking margins and growing uncertainty. For many directors, the question is no longer whether things are difficult. It’s how long […]
UK insolvency and company rescue in 2025: what’s changing and what Directors need to know

As Insolvency Practitioners, we believe one of our strengths is what we call our ‘bedside manner’, in other words, how we deliver a caring and bespoke personal service to directors whose businesses are facing financial difficulties. Part of this is keeping up to speed with what’s going on with businesses that are struggling to better […]
Will the VAT change lead to more insolvencies in the private schools’ sector? (Updated August 2025)

What is the role of Insolvency Practitioners in private schools’ insolvencies? The Government’s plan to levy VAT at the full 20% rate on all c.2,600 private schools in the UK came into force on 1st January 2025. There has been much debate across the political and educational spectrum as to the likely outcomes for this […]
Overdrawn Directors’ Loan Accounts: why do they matter in insolvency?

Overdrawn Directors’ Loan Accounts in insolvency – the consequences for directors could be severe. Is your company insolvent? Could it be heading towards liquidation? Overdrawn Directors’ Loan AccountS (DLA) are not just a technical detail. When a Company enters an insolvency process a DLA becomes due and payable and is a legal debt that you, […]
Family Business Insolvency: when relationships and risk collide

Family businesses are a cornerstone of the UK economy. They outnumber all other private sector firms, employ millions, and contribute significantly to national output. But when a family-run company faces financial difficulty, the challenges go far beyond the balance sheet, with impacts on relationships, succession plans, and even personal assets. In this article, we look […]