‘Doris’, ‘Dave’, ‘Henry’, ‘Betsy’ and ‘Bumble’ were popular choices, with the largest proportion of those who said they named their car coming from the East Midlands (28%). The smallest proportion came from Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales (1%, 3% and 6% respectively).

Women were almost twice as likely to give their car a name as men (65% and 35% respectively), with the majority of people who said they name their cars aged between 55 and 64 (41% within this age group said they gave their car a name).

The make, model, colour and ‘general look’ of the car were the common reasons given for the choice of name, with Fords, Vauxhalls, Toyotas, BMWs and Hyundais being the makes of vehicle most frequently given a name.

With 87% saying they had bought a personalised registration to match the name they give to their car, this could explain some of the obscure personalised registrations seen on cars.

DVLA Personalised Registrations sales manager Jody Davies said:

We sold DOR 1S, DAV 3S, HEN 2Y and HER 81E in the past, as well as personalised registrations where the meaning and significance seems much less obvious. It’s no surprise to find that people want to say something about their car in this way – whether the name is something personal to them or a bit of fun that they want to share with others.

Personalised registrations can be sold at auction for varying – and sometimes very large – amounts of money, but online they start from £250 so getting the ideal plate for your car could be less expensive than you may have thought.

In the last financial year 2017 to 2018, the sale of personalised registrations by DVLA raised over £160 million for HM Treasury. With around 50 million personalised registrations for sale on DVLA’s website, motorists can find out if their car’s name is available with just a few clicks.

Notes to editors

The personalised registrations referred to in the text were sold by DVLA at auction as follows:

• DOR 1S – £6,800 September 1990
• DAV 3S – £9,100 September 1999
• HER 81E – £7,000 January 2003
• HEN 2Y – £6,300 June 2005

The prices quoted above do not include VAT on the ‘hammer price’ listed; the buyer’s premium (+VAT) and DVLA assignment fees.

For the financial year 2017 to 2018, the sale of personalised registrations by DVLA generated £161,902,560 revenue for HM Treasury, including VAT and assignment fees.

Names that appeared more than once were:

• The Beast
• Betsy
• Bertie
• Bumble
• Dave
• Doris
• Henry
• Herb / Herbie
• Landy
• Sparky

The personalised registration depicted in the image, BR17 NEY is available for sale at the next DVLA live auction, taking place at the Oxford Belfry Hotel, Milton Common on 18, 19 and 20 July 2018, with a reserve price of £700 (plus fees).

Quoted statistics are based on responses to a DVLA survey.

Jo Harvey-Barringer, currently residing in Sussex, was the Chief Executive Officer and a director of Broken Rainbow LGBT Domestic Violence Service (UK) Limited (Broken Rainbow).

Broken Rainbow was incorporated in January 2004 to provide a telephone helpline service to members of the LGBT community who had experienced domestic violence, initially in London but also from premises in Manchester (from 2015).

The charity had various funding streams but relied heavily on funding provided by the Home Office. Home Office funding was not guaranteed and was often delayed causing cash flow issues.

At the start of 2016, following further delays in Home Office funding and a review of the charity’s financial stability it became apparent that payments had not been maintained to HMRC in respect of the charity’s PAYE debt.

In addition, charity Trustees had serious concerns over how it could continue to deliver its services and sought advice from an Insolvency Practitioner.

Following this, the charity was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation on 5 July 2016.

Between December 2014 and May 2016, payments amounting to £143,671 were made to Jo Harvey- Barringer, at a time when only £3,490 was paid in respect of the PAYE liability incurred during that period. This included a single payment of £12,500 made to her on 08 April 2016.

Anthea Simpson, a Chief Investigator with the Investigation and Enforcement Services, of the Insolvency Service said,

This ban should serve as a warning to other directors, particularly to those operating in the charity sector, that Company directors have a duty to ensure businesses meet their legal obligations, including paying taxes.

Deliberate neglect of tax affairs whilst paying others is not a victimless action as it deprives the taxpayer of the funds needed to operate public services and if they put their own needs before them they could be investigated by the Insolvency Service and lose the privilege of limited liability trading.

On 6 June 2018, the Secretary of State accepted a disqualification undertaking from Jo Harvey-Barringer, after she admitted failing to make payments to HMRC, while continuing to make payments to herself and other creditors.

Her ban is effective from 27 June 2018 and lasts for 3.5 years and means that for the duration of the ban, she cannot directly or indirectly becoming involved, without the permission of the court, in the promotion, formation or management of a company or limited liability partnership.

Notes to editors

Jo Harvey-Barringer, currently resides in Hove, Sussex and her date of birth is July 1968.

Broken Rainbow LGBT Domestic Violence Service (UK) (company registration number: 05009850) was placed into creditors voluntary liquidation on 5 July 2016.

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.

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

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

• Twitter
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New figures from Public Health England (PHE) reveal England’s poorest areas are fast food hotspots, with 5 times more outlets found in these communities than in the most affluent.

The data also suggests fast food outlets – including chip shops, burger bars and pizza places –account for more than a quarter (26%) of all eateries in England.

The local environment has a major influence on our behaviours and streets crowded with fast food outlets can influence our food choices – many of these currently have no or little nutrition information in-store. Children exposed to these outlets, whether out with friends or on their way home from school, may find it more difficult to choose healthier options.

The new figures also show a variation in the number of fast food outlets across England, ranging from zero in some wards to over 100 in others.

Many local authorities across England have taken action to address their food environment and PHE is encouraging them to learn from each other. At least 40 areas have developed policies to restrict the growth of new takeaways and fast food outlets, and PHE has helped develop stronger planning guidance to support other areas in doing this.

Some have developed ‘healthier zones’ to help tackle childhood obesity by limiting the number of outlets in areas with high concentrations of fast food outlets, high levels of deprivation, or where children gather – including near schools, community centres, parks, playgrounds and other open spaces.

While not all fast food is unhealthy, it is typically higher in salt, calories and saturated fat, all of which can cause serious health problems when consumed too often and in large quantities. Children with excess weight are consuming up to 500 extra calories per day, so creating healthier environments could play an important role in tackling obesity and health inequalities.

Over a third of children in England are overweight or obese by the time they leave primary school – this figure is even higher in some deprived communities. This increases their risk of being overweight or obese adults and suffering preventable diseases including type 2 diabetes, heart disease and some cancers.

Dr Alison Tedstone, Chief Nutritionist at Public Health England, said:

It’s not surprising some children find it difficult to resist the lure of fast food outlets when many neighbourhoods are saturated with them.

Local authorities have the power to help shape our environment and support people in making healthier choices. They need to question whether these fast food hotspots are compatible with their work to help families and young children live healthier lives.

Food outlets can make a contribution to our high streets. However, with the impact of obesity on local authority social care budgets estimated at £352 million per year, encouraging healthier choices can make a positive difference.

As part of its work to improve the local food environment, PHE supports local authorities’ work with small businesses to provide healthier options. This can be through using less salt, sugar and saturated fat in their products, as well as offering customers smaller portions and promoting healthier alternatives. Some areas have healthy catering schemes to recognise and support local retailers who are making such changes.

The Department of Health and Social Care recently announced the second chapter of its childhood obesity plan, including a trailblazer programme to help local authorities learn from each other. Another significant measure is a consultation on mandatory calorie labelling in the out of home sector, to help people make informed choices when eating out. These bold steps were announced as part of government’s ambition of halving childhood obesity by 2030.

PHE plays a significant role in achieving this ambition. It has challenged major players in the food industry to remove 20% of calories from popular foods – including chips, burgers, and pizzas – by 2024. This is in addition to its challenge to industry to reduce sugar in everyday products by 20% by 2020. With a quarter of our calories coming from food consumed outside the home, restaurants including fast food outlets and takeaways are expected to play their part.

As part of its One You campaign, PHE has also helped consumers find healthier options by partnering with major high street retailers, where millions of people buy their food every day.

Treasury Minister Robert Jenrick has embarked on a UK tour to lift the lid on the innovation of Great British businesses and learn how they are tackling the productivity gap.

His first stop is Leicester, in the heart of the Midlands Engine, to see for himself businesses that are playing a vital role in driving the new economy.

This will include meeting a local entrepreneur whose company – Micro-Fresh – has helped stop the spread of bacteria in everyday products like towels and bedding. Micro-Fresh has received government funding to support its expansion into the housing sector.

The Minister will also meet a construction company that is sharing its know-how with others to improve efficiency and productivity, as well as textile factory workers to hear how harnessing new technology is ensuring this traditional Leicester industry continues to thrive.

The Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, Robert Jenrick, said:

There are some incredible businesses here in the East Midlands whose great innovations have helped boost this region’s productivity beyond others, including London. But too often their contributions go under the radar.

That’s why I have chosen the Midlands to kick-start my tour of the UK to lift the lid on those playing a vital role in delivering growth, skills and jobs for local people. It’s vital that we learn from these trailblazing innovators so we can help others follow suit and boost productivity across the country.

The East Midlands contributes £100 billion a year to the UK economy. Since 2010, the region has seen the creation of 68,000 businesses and 344,000 apprenticeships, with record-high levels of employment (2.3 million) and unemployment down by nearly half (42 per cent).

Notes to Editors

The Exchequer Secretary will meet:

• Local Leicester entrepreneur Byron Dixon OBE, CEO and Founder of Micro-Fresh International – the company, which is growing 25% every year, provides anti-bacterial treatment for products like bedding, towels and footwear and are available in John Lewis, Sainsbury’s and M&S. A recent £120,000 grant from the Government helped the company conduct research which will allow the product to be used in social housing to combat damp and mould.
• Caterpillar’s Logistic Services – the construction company is sharing its expertise with other businesses to fuel innovation in the sector.
• East Midlands Chamber of Commerce – the Minister will host a meeting to hear first-hand what can be done to further support growth and innovation in the region.
• Factory workers and managers in the textile industry – the traditional business is seizing opportunities in the new economy and ensuring this long-established industry remains a key part of the Leicester identity.

East Midlands economy facts:

• The East Midlands contributes £100 billion of gross value added per year to the UK economy.
• Manufacturing accounts for 12.4% of all jobs in the East Midlands – higher than any other UK region.
• Since 2010, unemployment has fallen faster in the East Midlands than in London (-42.8%).
• Employment in the East Midlands is at a record high level (2.3 million).
• Since early 2010, 204,000 (+10%) more people are in employment in the East Midlands. Unemployment has fallen by 72,000 (-43%) over the same period.
• Productivity growth since 2010 has been faster than London (12.1%).

The Chancellor Philip Hammond highlighted the role of innovators in the new economy in his Autumn Budget and set out the Government’s plans to support those who deliver growth, create higher paying jobs and make sure everyone has the skills they need.