James and Jason Battle, of Nationwide Management Services Ltd, also individually pleaded guilty to failing to provide information to Security Industry Authority (SIA) investigators.

James Battle was sentenced at Liverpool and Knowsley Magistrates’ Court on 09 September while Jason Battle was sentenced on 19 August. One of the Battles’ employees, Paul Fry, was also sentenced following a guilty plea to working without an SIA licence.

Nationwide had supplied Fry in February 2021 to work illegally without a licence at a construction site in Liverpool’s Welsh Streets. The company was ordered to pay costs of £589.80 in addition to the £50,000 fine, plus a victim surcharge of £190. The amount is to be paid in full within eight months.

Jason Battle failed to provide SIA investigators with information they had asked for, even though they granted him an extension. This is an offence for which the court fined him a total of £1,500 and required him to pay a victim surcharge of £75 plus court costs of £852. He was given 28 days to pay the total amount. He has incurred a criminal record and his SIA licence has been suspended with a view to it being revoked.

James Battle also failed to provide information to SIA investigators. In addition, he gave them information that proved to be false. The SIA established that he acted as the controlling mind of Nationwide Management Services, although he is not a director. He was fined £3,000 and ordered to pay court costs of £824.80 plus a victim surcharge of £190. The amount must be paid in full within three months.

Paul Fry had previously failed to attend SIA requests for an interview. On 09 September he pleaded guilty to working unlicensed and was sentenced to a community order with a four-week curfew between the hours of 8pm and 7am daily. He is also required to pay court costs of £300 and a victim surcharge of £95.

The SIA brought the prosecutions against the three men and the business following several investigations conducted in partnership with Merseyside Police and Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Nathan Salmon, the SIA’s Criminal Investigations Manager, said:

This is a complex case of criminality involving a prestigious construction site in Liverpool. It illustrates that we will prosecute illegality wherever we find it in the private security industry. Each of the people here has now got a criminal record and will not be able to work in the industry in the future. This case is a reminder for security buyers to undertake due diligence when identifying a supplier to protect valuable sites and assets.

Notes to editors:

• By law, security operatives working under contract must hold and display a valid SIA licence. Information about SIA enforcement and penalties can be found on GOV.UK.
• The offences relating to the Private Security Industry Act (2001) mentioned above are:
  • Paul Fry – 1 x Section 3 (working without a licence)
  • James Battle – 1 x Section 5 by 23 (deploying unlicensed guard by consent, connivance or neglect of directors); 1 x Section 22 (providing false information to the SIA).
  • Nationwide Management Services Ltd – 1 x Section 5 (supplying unlicensed security).
  • Jason Battle – 2 x Section 19 (failing to provide information relating to an investigation).
• The Private Security Industry Act 2001 is available online.

Further information:

• The Security Industry Authority is the organisation responsible for regulating the private security industry in the United Kingdom, reporting to the Home Secretary under the terms of the Private Security Industry Act 2001. Our main duties are: the compulsory licensing of individuals undertaking designated activities; and managing the voluntary Approved Contractor Scheme.
• For further information about the Security Industry Authority visit www.gov.uk/sia. The SIA is also on Facebook (Security Industry Authority) and Twitter (SIAuk).

The Western Excellence in Learning and Leadership (WELL) Project is an ambitious programme of targeted investments and interventions to improve educational outcomes in the region, particularly for the most disadvantaged.

It launched in 2019 with £1.7 million of funding from Sellafield Ltd and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority and was co-created with Cumbria County Council and local schools.

Earlier this year it was granted additional funding of almost £4 million over the next 3 years.

WELL is a collaborative project that draws on national and international research and works closely with the Education Endowment Foundation (EEF) and their Research School network.

The funding will be targeted at areas of need in schools and colleges in the boroughs of Copeland and Allerdale, and the project independently evaluated by the University of Nottingham in partnership with the Centre for the Use of Research and Evidence in Education.

Gary McKeating, Sellafield Ltd’s head of community and development, said:

The WELL Project is a key strand of Sellafield Ltd’s Social Impact Multiplied (SiX) programme, which has a central commitment to helping communities unlock a sustainable and prosperous future.

WELL is already making significant progress in its work to help improve teaching, raise pupil achievement and enhance the health and wellbeing of students in our communities, and there is much more to come.

It’s a great example of how we can multiply our collective impact when we work collaboratively and take an evidence-led approach.

The strengths of this partnering and evidence-led approach were demonstrated last year when the COVID-19 pandemic led to many planned WELL activities being paused.

The impact of COVID-19 on the achievement and wellbeing of pupils meant there was an immediate need to support young people and teachers to aid their recovery and help them catch up on learning.

In response, over £500,000 of WELL funding was provided to eligible schools with disadvantaged pupils to provide technology for remote learning, development and support for teachers and students, and breakfasts for vulnerable and key workers’ children.

Lindsay Burnett, headteacher at Montreal CofE Primary School, Cleator, said:

The WELL project has given a drive to schools and the capacity to be able to rethink how we can support our most vulnerable pupils.

It has increased conversations and actions about what we can do to support those that are disadvantaged. “More children are receiving high quality educational experiences through funding support for physical resources but also development of our leaders and teachers.

Professor Becky Francis, CEO of the Education Endowment Foundation, said:

It is extremely encouraging, particularly in these challenging times, to see projects such as WELL facilitating Cumbrian schools’ engagement with evidence-informed approaches to teaching and learning.

Its central focus -on broadening access to research-based training and high-quality educational programmes to improve pupils’ academic outcomes- is one that mirrors the core mission of the EEF nationally. The appointment of Ashfield Junior School in Workington as a Research School will be a valuable source of support for others in the region.

On 15 September the British High Commission in Bangladesh organised a webinar titled “Bangladesh Capital Markets: A New Frontier”. Mr M A Mannan, the honourable Minister of Ministry of Planning, Government of Bangladesh, attended as the Chief Guest. He was joined by Ms Rushanara Ali, Member of the UK Parliament and the UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh.

The webinar was attended by senior government officials and representatives from private and public sector organisations including: Sultana Afroz, Secretary and CEO, Public Private Partnership Authority (PPPA), Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), Professor Shibli Rubayat Ul Islam, Chairman, Bangladesh Securities and Exchange Commission (BSEC), Md Mahbubur Rahman, CEO, HSBC Bangladesh, Mr Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO, Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh, Mr Henry Tillman, Chairman, Grisons Peak Services, Mr Ifty Islam, Chairman, Asian Tiger Capital, Mr Fahim Ahmed, President, Pathao, Mr Srini Nagarajan, Managing Director and Head of Asia, CDC, Mr Nishant Kumar, Managing Director for Asia, GuarantCo, Ms Fiona Stewart, Lead Financial Sector Specialist, World Bank, Ms Nuzhat Anwar, Acting Country Manager, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Nepal, IFC, and Tarique Amin Bhuiyan, Managing Director, Dhaka Stock Exchange.

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Mr Robert Chatterton Dickson delivered the welcome remarks. Deputy British High Commissioner Mr Javed Patel and Development Director Ms Judith Herbertson moderated different sessions.

The webinar explored the functioning of Bangladesh’s capital markets and looked at how capital market reform and financial sector modernisation in partnership with the UK can support increased private sector investment and help Bangladesh achieve sustained economic growth as it enters its next 50 years.

The UK Prime Minister’s Trade Envoy for Bangladesh Ms Rushanara Ali MP congratulated Bangladesh on its 50 years of independence and applauded the economic goals Bangladesh has set to reach Upper Middle-Income Country by 2031 and a High-Income Country by 2041.

Ms Rushanara Ali MP said

“A strong and modern UK-Bangladesh financial sector partnership has potential for mutual benefits. The basic ingredients already exist: Bangladeshi banks are present in UK and British financial services companies like, HSBC and Standard Chartered Bank, operate in Bangladesh. Others, including insurance companies, are exploring the market.”

The webinar highlighted the need for broadening and deepening Bangladeshi capital markets and the opportunities for investors and issuers that reforms could bring. Participants shared insights on the role of regulators, the important role pension funds and institutional investors could play, the private equity and start up ecosystem, and the current state of the mergers and acquisition market. The discussion demonstrated how well the Bangladesh economy is performing relative to its neighbours and how best it can build on that success and improve its attractiveness to investors.

Md Mahbubur Rahman, CEO, HSBC Bangladesh, said

“Despite challenges, Bangladesh’s economy has proved to be resilient with consistent high growth in the last decade and growth volatility below regional average. With constraints to investment by public and private sector like power and infrastructure gradually being addressed, Bangladesh has momentum in its favour as the country graduates from Least Developed Country to a Developing country in 2026.”

Mr. Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Bangladesh, said

“Bangladesh is getting ripe for Mergers & Acquisitions (M&A) activities on the back of a probable post-pandemic K-Shaped economic recovery, consolidation of market players, and significant unrealised potential of the country. However, the scope of M&A activities is much wider than sale of distressed assets, and can enable both private and public sector companies to unlock the greater value for themselves and their clients.”

Ms. Nuzhat Anwar, Acting Country Manager, Bangladesh, Bhutan and Nepal, International Finance Corporation (IFC), said

“Well-developed domestic capital markets can be key to building more resilient financial systems – systems that better mobilize local currency finance from domestic and foreign investors and connect them to investments.”

Mr Srini Nagarajan, Head of Asia for CDC, the UK’s development finance institution, said

“Bangladesh is one of the fastest growing economies in the world, and we believe it could emerge as one of the strongest economies in the South Asia region. Since 2020, it has increased its market capitalisation by over a third. The opportunities for investors and businesses are abundant, and a greater coordination between institutional investors, regulators, entrepreneurs and corporates, and banks will further support capital market development in Bangladesh.”

British High Commissioner to Bangladesh Robert Chatterton Dickson highlighted the role the City of London can play in helping to bridge the investment needs of Bangladesh’s private sector.

Robert Chatterton Dickson said

“Private capital investment in business and infrastructure will play an increasing role in powering the next stage of Bangladesh’s growth after Least Developed Country graduation. Developing new channels of investment finance, both domestic and international, will spur business growth and job creation.

“The City of London, as a preeminent global financial centre and home to some of the world’s deepest and most sophisticated international capital markets, can play an important part in providing Bangladesh’s government and private sector with a gateway to capital markets and investors. This meeting brings together experts, investors and practitioners to consider the next steps in maximising these opportunities.”

Note to editor

FCDO actively supports financial sector development and increased investment by the private sector in Bangladesh through its programmes. For example, Business Finance for the Poor in Bangladesh (BFPB) is a £24.8m programme, implementing between 2014 and 2023. It supports improved access to financial services, including credit, for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to improve income, jobs and livelihood opportunities for poor men and women in Bangladesh. Bangladesh Investment Climate Fund 2 (BICF2) is a £18.5m programme, implementing from 2016 to 2022. It supports improvement in business climate to harness private sector investment in job creation and poverty reduction. It provides knowledge, technical training and advisory support to help the Bangladesh Investment Development Authority (BIDA) and the Bangladesh Economic Zones Authority (BEZA), address policy, regulatory and administrative constraints on private investment.

Further information

Email: Dhaka.Press@fco.gov.uk

Follow the British High Commissioner to Bangladesh on Twitter: @RCDicksonUK

Follow the British High Commission Dhaka on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and Linkedin