Business Rates And Newcastle-Under-lyme Borough Council

EDM number 1193 in 2008-09, proposed by Paul Farrelly on 25/03/2009.
Categorised under the topics of Insolvency and Local government.

That this House is disappointed at the conduct of the Cabinet and senior officers of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in writing off behind closed doors business rates owed for 2008-09 by companies connected to serving Conservative Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes they have signally failed yet again to uphold civic standards, or show any courage whatsoever, through their refusal to make an open statement in the public interest about Councillor Whieldon's shameless record; notes that this is the fourth time in five years that the Borough has done this regarding insolvent companies in which he has been involved; further notes that the 3,600 and 7,825 written off in respect of Ikon Entertainment Limited and Vaults Entertainment Limited, of which Councillor Whieldon was a shadow director, means his companies have to date avoided paying 59,272 in business rates in all to Newcastle Borough Council; further notes that total bad debts left behind by a trail of insolvencies now comes to over 1.5 million; is concerned at the repetition of previous patterns of behaviour, with the Ikon and Bulls Vaults pub businesses in this case being transferred to successor companies which were incorporated just before Ikon Entertainment and Vaults Entertainment went into liquidation last August; and therefore calls on the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform to examine these circumstances in its current investigation of Councillor Whieldon's business conduct and his treatment of creditors, who time and again also include HM Revenue and Customs through non-payment of tax, national insurance and value added tax.

This motion has been signed by a total of 5 MPs.