Tag Archives: HM Government

Work at the Finham Brook site in Kenilworth, Warwickshire, starts this month and includes the creation of 6 new ponds as well as new woodlands featuring over 6,200 trees and shrubs. It’s expected to be completed by the end of the year.

The new habitats will support local wildlife species ranging from birds to great crested newts. They are part of an unprecedented conservation project, which will see a green corridor of connected wildlife habitats created alongside the railway, including up to 7 million new trees and shrubs, as well as wetland, ponds, heathland and meadow.

Finham Brook conservation project

Anthony Coumbe, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd’s Head of Environment for this region said:

The new habitats at Finham Brook will be the first of many to come between London and the West Midlands. They will help us to care for the local environment and serve as a new home to wildlife affected by the future development of the railway.

At Finham Brook, we’re creating a bigger and better habitat than local species such as great crested newts currently have. We’ll relocate newts to the habitat next year, once it has become properly established, while other wildlife will start to use the area naturally over time.

Ultimately, we’re aiming to create a railway that works for nature as well as passengers, with a green corridor of connected habitats running through the spine of the country.

Various preparatory works for the first phase of HS2, from London to the West Midlands, are currently underway. These range from nature conservation activity to archaeology investigations. Main construction work is set to start in 2018/19 following detailed design work.

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Cambridge’s newest rail station is already helping to speed up journeys for commuters into and out of the city less than 2 months after opening.

Cambridge North station was officially opened by Transport Secretary Chris Grayling today (7 August 2017). On his visit to the city today he also met with key stakeholders on the innovative East West Rail (EWR) project.

The station is set to serve up to 3,000 commuters a day. It is helping to cut traffic congestion into the city centre and is making journeys to the Cambridge Science Park quicker and easier.

Mr Grayling said:

The opening of Cambridge North marks the start of our plans to transform journeys for passengers in Cambridgeshire and maximise growth for the wider region.

We are committed to making journeys across this region quicker and easier, as soon as possible. The new station is already contributing to that.

East West Rail is at the heart of that transformation and can be a critical part of our plans to make this region the UK’s own Silicon Valley, a world renowned centre for science and innovation.

Meliha Duymaz, Network Rail’s Route Managing Director for Anglia, said:

This station brings a welcome boost to the local economy as part of our railway upgrade plan.

It has improved the way people travel around the city with better connections to both Cambridge city centre and to London, and provides vital rail links to the science and business parks, to support jobs and create new opportunities.

EWR is planned to link Cambridge and Oxford directly by rail for the first time in 50 years and is one of the UK’s most strategically important rail projects. As well as helping to develop the region into the UK’s own Silicon Valley it could boost other initiatives including housing, science, technology and innovation.

The aim is also to provide a new direct rail link between East Anglia, the south midlands and the south-west, helping to grow the UK’s economy.

Upon completion, it will mean journeys between some of the country’s most economically vibrant towns and cities will be quicker and easier.

Mr Grayling was joined at the official opening of Cambridge North station by Network Rail’s Meliha Duymaz, Greater Anglia Managing Director Jamie Burles, and Nick Brown, Chief Operating Officer at GTR.

Upon successful completion, the new east-west line will have interchange stations with 5 main railway lines radiating out of London but will run under or over each, minimising risk of delay. The aim is to build a route that allows future upgrades to be incorporated with as little disruption as possible.

The Western section of the line between Oxford and Bedford is being progressively upgraded and is expected to completed by 2022, with Aylesbury to Milton Keynes expected to be completed in 2024 at the latest.

£10 million was allocated at the last Autumn Statement to identify a preferred route for the line to extend east of Bedford, via Sandy, to Cambridge. The original railway was closed in 1966.

An update on the next section of the planned route between Cambridge and Bedford will be published in the autumn and the preferred route confirmed by next summer.

Work also continues on a new Oxford-Cambridge expressway, with consultations on improving the A428 and delivering a major upgrade to the A14 later in 2017.

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Mr McGilvray has given an undertaking to the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy that he won’t act as a director of a company for seven years from 15 August .

An Insolvency Service investigation found McGilvray ( 53), had failed to preserve the company’s accounting records between January 2014 and August 2015 and failed to maintain accounting records for the period September 2015 and August 2016.

Keith McGilvray was the sole director of Frogfish Limited, on 9 June 2016, when, with liabilities of £94,808, the company was placed into compulsory liquidation following a winding up petition lodged by HM Revenue & Customs.

Following the liquidator’s appointment the investigation found between 1 January 2014 and August 2015, Mr McGilvray failed to preserve the accounting records of Frogfish Limited and between September 2015 and August 2016 he failed to maintain accounting records during which time he caused the company to trade on a cash basis. Consequently, in the absence of the accounting records it was not possible to:

• verify whether the receipts deposited into the bank account in the period 02 January 2014 and 11 September 2015 totalling £218,205 were a true reflection of the sale achieved in the period
• identify and verify the level of sales achieved in the period 12 September 2015 to August 2016 and what became of the monies achieved from the sales made
• verify whether the 83 cheque payments totalling £35,236 made in the period 07 January 2014 to 21 August 2015 were bona fide company transactions
• identify and verify payments made by the company between 28 August 2015 and August 2016; Identify and verify the level of wages paid by the company in the period 20 August 2016 to August 2016 and the resulting liability owed to HMRC in respect of RTI PAYE
• identify and verify the level of VAT owed by the company between February 2014 and August 2016

The inability to identify and verify the financial position of the company at liquidation was further exacerbated as a consequence of Mr McGilvray failing to comply with his statutory obligations in that he failed to ensure the company:

• prepared and filed annual accounts for the year to 31 December 2014 which ought to have been filed with the Registrar at Companies House by 30 September 2015
• prepared and filed VAT returns for 10 consecutive VAT quarters between February 2014 and May 2016 resulting in HMRC issuing VAT assessments and surcharges
• filed monthly RTI PAYE information to HMRC in respect of tax years 2015/2016 and 2016/2017 resulting in HMRC estimating the liability owed

Robert Clarke, Head of Company Investigation at the Insolvency Service said:

Directors who operate cash based businesses have to maintain sufficient records to explain where these monies have gone and following insolvency make sure that such records are delivered up for scrutiny by the relevant bodies.

By failing to do this the public can not be sure that all funds received by the company were used for legitimate purposes. The substantial period of this disqualification reflects the fact that when a company fails to keep adequate financial records it is simply not possible to determine whether there has been other, more serious, impropriety in relation to the management of its affairs.

This ban should serve as a reminder to any directors tempted to do the same: the Insolvency Service will vigorously investigate you and seek to remove you from the marketplace.

Notes to editors

Frogfish Limited (Company No. SC292943) went into compulsory liquidation on 9 June 2016, with a deficiency to creditors of £94,808. The company was incorporated to sell fish and chips from a takeaway and traded from 8 Provost Watt Drive, Kincorth, Aberdeen AB12 5BT.

Keith McGilvray is of Aberdeen and his date of birth is 26 January 1964.

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, an executive agency sponsored by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS), administers the insolvency regime, and aims to deliver and promote a range of investigation and enforcement activities both civil and criminal in nature, to support fair and open markets. We do this by effectively enforcing the statutory company and insolvency regimes, maintaining public confidence in those regimes and reducing the harm caused to victims of fraudulent activity and to the business community, including dealing with the disqualification of directors in corporate failures. Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

BEIS’ mission is to build a dynamic and competitive UK economy that works for all, in particular by creating the conditions for business success and promoting an open global economy. The Criminal Investigations and Prosecutions team contributes to this aim by taking action to deter fraud and to regulate the market. They investigate and prosecute a range of offences, primarily relating to personal or company insolvencies.

Media enquiries for this press release – 020 7596 6187

You can also follow the Insolvency Service on:

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Highways England is announcing its preferred route for a major £282m improvement scheme to improve the M42 junction 6 near Solihull which has the backing of local residents, businesses and road users.

Following a seven week consultation on three options which ended in January, Highways England is taking forward a modified version of Option 1 as the preferred route for M42 junction 6.

The modification moves the route slightly closer to the south west corner of Bickenhill to avoid a local business in the area and reduce the effect on the Bickenhill Meadows, a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

Option 1 was supported by 64% of people who responded to the consultation, including 60% of the local residents. The preferred route will see a new 2.4km dual carriageway link road – aligned to the west of Bickenhill – between the A45 Clock Interchange and a new junction on the M42 south of junction 6 located north of Solihull Road.

Highways England regional director, Catherine Brookes, said:

M42 junction 6 lies at the heart of an area of dynamic growth and is surrounded by a unique mix of existing and proposed major assets that serve both the local and wider economy.

Highways England senior project manager, Jonathan Pizzey, said:

The recent consultation was a great way to ensure that we heard the opinions of local residents and businesses in the area and also for them to have a say in the project as it moves forward.

This is a vital scheme which will support economic growth in the area and beyond. It will also improve access to HS2, the National Exhibition Centre (NEC), Birmingham Airport and future developments such as the UK Central development area.

The decision to take forward Option 1 has also received the backing of Birmingham International Airport and the UK Urban Growth Company.

Birmingham Airport chief operating officer, David Winstanley, said:

We welcome Highways England’s decision to progress the Option 1 scheme for improvements to junction 6 of the M42. This junction is a critical part of the road network which provides access to many of the region’s biggest employers but is currently heavily congested.

It is therefore vital that better access is provided to ease current congestion and cater for the future growth of both Birmingham Airport and the surrounding UK Central area. We will continue to work with Highways England to ensure that our emerging master plan aligns with the scheme so that passengers using Birmingham Airport in years to come benefit from the improvements.

Managing director at UK Urban Growth Company (UGC), Huw Rhys Lewis, said:

We have worked closely with Highways England and wholeheartedly support this option which will increase the resilience and reliability of the road network in this area and in turn support economic growth.

As part of the scheme there are also plans to improve traffic flow at the roundabout – a well-known bottleneck – by providing dedicated left turn links between the M42 and A45 at the NEC and the north east side of the roundabout. This will benefit motorists by reducing congestion and improving journey times around the junction, as well as access to and from the motorway.

Additionally, Highways England will be undertaking improvements to the M42 junction 6 roundabout, Clock Interchange and the A45 between the two junctions, in order to ensure the two junctions can work together going forward and minimise the effect on the A45.

Highways England will continue to work closely with all the stakeholders through the detailed design and statutory process to ensure their views and ideas are incorporated into the design where appropriate.

Following this work, Highways England will hold a further public consultation so that people can have their say on the detail of the project. It is expected that this will take place in late 2017 or early 2018.

Construction is expected to start in 2020 and completion is due in 2023.

For a copy of the preferred route announcement leaflet and more information about the scheme, visit the scheme website.

Members of the public can also contact the project team by emailing:

m42junction6@highwaysengland.co.uk or by calling Highways England Customer Contact Centre on 0300 123 5000.

General enquiries

Members of the public should contact the Highways England customer contact centre on 0300 123 5000.

Media enquiries

Journalists should contact the Highways England press office on 0844 693 1448 and use the menu to speak to the most appropriate press officer.

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The AAIB is looking for a Finance Officer who is highly motivated, flexible and enthusiastic. You will join a small finance team and will be responsible for providing a high level of service, managing and processing financial and non-financial enquiri… read more