Shafique Uddin, also known as Sofiq Uddin, was the director of Kazitula Limited. The company traded as Shafiques, a restaurant and takeaway on Goring Road in Worthing, West Sussex.

The company behind the restaurant, however, went into liquidation in April 2017 but Kazitula Limited’s insolvency triggered an investigation by the Insolvency Service.

Investigators uncovered that for nearly 7 years between April 2010 and January 2017 Shafique Uddin caused Kazitula Limited to file inaccurate tax returns.

This meant the restaurant underdeclared and underpaid taxes in the region of £320,000.

On 14 October 2022 in the High Court of Justice, Insolvency and Companies Court Judge Mullen made an 8-year disqualification order against Shafique Uddin.

When making the order, Judge Mullen said that “Mr Uddin caused the company to file inaccurate tax returns over nearly 7 years. It is impossible to avoid the conclusion that this was for personal gain. No other reason for concealing sales is offered.”

Effective from 4 November 2022, Shafique Uddin is banned for 8 years from directly, or indirectly, becoming involved in the promotion, formation or management of a company, without the permission of the court.

Lawrence Zussman, Deputy Head of Company Investigations at the Insolvency Service, said:

Considering that the suppression of the restaurant’s takings took place over 7 years, it is clear that Shafique Uddin knowingly caused the company to renege on the taxes it owed.

Much of the public service is funded by the correct amount of taxes being paid and that’s what makes Shafique Uddin’s misconduct all the more serious. The court recognised the severity of his actions and have removed Shafique Uddin from the corporate environment for a substantial amount of time.

Shafique Uddin is from Worthing and his date of birth is April 1959.

Kazitula Limited (Company Reg no. 04812053).

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.

Further information about the work of the Insolvency Service, and how to complain about financial misconduct, is available.

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Primary-age children are referred to alternative provision when schools are unable to manage their physically or verbally violent behaviour, with negative effects on other children and staff. Around 7,000 primary-age children in England are currently known to be in AP. While this is a small proportion of all primary pupils, the number has risen by over a quarter in the last 5 years.

To understand this increase, Ofsted research explored the role that AP plays in the education system and the reasons primary-age children are referred there in the first place. It also looked at the challenges schools and APs face in supporting young children with additional needs, and how they work together to re-integrate them into mainstream education where possible.

Ofsted’s study, published today, found that most primary-age pupils only stayed in AP for a few weeks or months, and usually attended part time. However, some children with additional needs stay in AP for years while they wait for a special school place, and AP staff may be unable to meet their needs fully in the meantime. This absence of appropriate teaching and specialist support could have long-term consequences for these vulnerable children.

Primary school staff told Ofsted that the strain on specialist services nationally – exacerbated by the pandemic – has made it more difficult to support pupils with special educational needs. Limited access to professional help, such as speech and language therapists or educational psychology services, could be leading to more AP referrals and potentially more permanent exclusions.

Study participants also told Ofsted:

• Children were referred to an AP when their schools’ support strategies had not worked – either because of a lack of training, funding or facilities. Support strategies also became ineffective when relationships between parents and school staff broke down. In these cases, an AP referral was sometimes used as a ‘circuit breaker’ to repair relationships, with the AP acting as a mediator between the school and parents, while supporting the child.

• School staff believed pupils’ violent behaviour often stemmed from difficult home lives or undiagnosed SEND. A large majority of children in the study had social, emotional and /or health needs. This aligns with national statistics on pupils referred to AP.

• Staff had high expectations for pupils’ progress and outcomes, and most were expected to return to school. For other children, schools and APs worked together to identify the right future setting, such as a special school.

• Schools saw outreach work by APs to be important for the early identification of children’s needs, preventing an escalation in behaviour and helping retain pupils in mainstream education. However, AP staff said that funding arrangements affect the amount of outreach work they can do.

• Some APs had specialist teams on site, so that pupils’ needs could be understood and addressed quickly. APs may also extend help to families, because some parents of children in AP have their own emotional, cognitive or learning needs.

• All parents involved in the research said their child’s behaviour and academic work had improved since joining an AP, but some were unsure whether AP could substantially ‘change’ their child’s behaviour or lead to them have a happy and full life after leaving AP.

His Majesty’s Chief Inspector, Amanda Spielman, said:

It seems shocking that primary age children, as young as five, could be taken out of school for violent behaviour. But, as our study shows, AP can be a positive choice for these children and play a transformative role in their young lives.

But limited access to external services, and lengthy waiting times for a special school place, mean some vulnerable children languish for years in APs that cannot provide the specialist support they need. And the consequences for these children may last well into their adult lives.

Today’s report states that a high-quality curriculum and high-quality teaching are crucial in preventing pupils’ needs from developing or worsening. Teachers would also benefit from improved access to appropriate external services, and opportunities to develop the right knowledge and skills. This could allow more mainstream schools to support pupils with additional needs, avoiding an AP referral or exclusion.

Notes to editors

1. AP can include state-funded pupil referral units and AP free schools or academies, or local authority commissioned AP provided by independent schools, further education colleges or tuition centres. It encompasses a variety of services, including off-site full or part-time provision, specialist provision within mainstream schools, and outreach work – where AP staff observe a pupil in a mainstream school and help the school put new strategies in place to support them.

2. For the research, Ofsted visited 10 primary schools, 8 APs, 1 SEMH school and 5 local authorities between September and November 2021. Interviews were held with staff in all these settings, as well as 8 parents of pupils in AP. Due to the small sample size, the findings are not representative of the experiences of all pupils, schools or APs in England.

3. Ofsted inspections show that most registered APs keep pupils safe and provide a good standard of education. However, not all APs are required to register with the Department for Education, meaning they are not subject to any direct oversight. And some APs that should be registered are not. Inspectors have found low standards of education in unregistered settings, along with a range of safeguarding concerns, including failures to carry out the required checks on staff.

Over 8 million households in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland who claimed qualifying means-tested benefits during the eligibility period will be automatically paid £324 this month, as part of £1,200 worth of direct help for households.

• over 8 million benefit claimants to receive £324 this month as part of Cost of Living support
• DWP claimants will receive their second Cost of Living payment by 23 November 2022, and eligible tax credit claimants, on no other means-tested benefits, will receive it between 23 and 30 November 2022
• payments will automatically be made to everyone eligible, with no need for anyone to apply

The payments, starting today from the Department for Work and Pensions, are made directly into eligible recipients’ bank accounts, with no need for people to apply or do anything to receive it.

The payment reference on DWP recipients’ bank accounts will be their national insurance number, followed by “DWP COL”. For HMRC recipients the payment reference will be “HMRC COLS”.

Work and Pensions Secretary, Mel Stride said:

We understand that people are struggling and that is why we’ve consistently acted to ensure millions of low-income families are supported. We will continue to act with compassion as we navigate challenging global economic circumstances.

As part of a wider £37 billion package of support, this latest £324 payment will help the most vulnerable people in our society who are worrying about their finances through the winter months.

The government’s £1,200 support package contains £400 for energy bills that is being paid in monthly instalments to all domestic energy customers between now and March 2023. It also includes a £150 Council Tax rebate for 85% of all UK households and the previous £326 Cost of Living Payment made by DWP in July and by HMRC in September.

On top of this, nearly one in ten people received the £150 disability payment in September, and a £300 addition to Winter Fuel Payments will go to over eight million pensioner households over the winter.

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt added:

Prices are rising across the world as we manage the aftershock of COVID-19 and Putin’s invasion of Ukraine. We recognise that families back home are struggling, which is why we’ve taken decisive action to hold down energy bills this winter, and provided hundreds of pounds of cash support for each vulnerable household.

As part of that support, over 8 million vulnerable households – almost a quarter of families in the UK – will automatically receive a second cost of living payment worth £324 in their bank account from today.

And while we can’t completely protect people from rising prices, my priority at the upcoming Autumn Statement will be to protect the poorest in society as we take the tough decisions necessary to fix our public finances.

Those eligible to receive the second cost of living payment from today include people on:

• Universal Credit
• Income-based Jobseekers Allowance (JSA)
• Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
• Income Support
• Pension Credit

To be eligible, claimants must have been claiming and entitled to a payment between 26 August and 25 September 2022, with the exception of pensioner households, who may be able to have a new Pension Credit claim backdated.

They have until 18 December 2022 to submit a valid claim for Pension Credit, which could entitle them to the £324 Cost of Living payment. Anyone can check their eligibility for Pension Credit using the online calculator or by calling the freephone claim line, on: 0800 99 1234.

Even if you are not on a qualifying DWP benefit you may still be eligible for the £324 payment, as HMRC are also making payments to over a million people who receive Working Tax Credit or Child Tax Credit and no other eligible benefits. These will be paid between 23 and 30 November 2022 and customers do not need to contact the government or apply for the payment at any stage.

The £324 payment and the overall £1,200 package come on top of wide-ranging government support with the cost of living this winter, including an extension to the Household Support Fund, which is providing an extra £421 million between October and March to help vulnerable people with the essentials.

As well as this, the Energy Price Guarantee is ensuring people across the country pay significantly less for their energy bills, with a typical household saving around £700 this winter.

More information about Cost of Living support

Table 1 : Estimated number of families eligible for the means-tested benefit cost of living payment by region

Note for table 1: Estimates rounded to the nearest 1,000. Numbers may not add up due to rounding. For a small number of claimants, it has not been possible to determine a region. They have still been included in the totals.

Table 2: Estimated number of families eligible for the means-tested benefit cost of living payment by Westminster parliamentary constituency

Note for table 2: Estimates rounded to the nearest 100. Numbers may not add up due to rounding. For a small number of claimants, it has not been possible to determine a Parliamentary Constituency. They have still been included in the totals.

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International zero-emission shipping routes came one step closer to becoming a reality, as the UK made a major pledge alongside the US, Norway, and the Netherlands to roll out green maritime links between our countries at this year’s COP27 conference in Sharm el Sheikh, Egypt.  

So-called ‘green shipping corridors’ are specific maritime routes decarbonised from end to end, including both land-side infrastructure and vessels.

Setting up such routes involves using zero-emission fuel or energy, putting in place refuelling or recharging infrastructure at ports, and deploying zero-emission capable vessels to demonstrate cleaner, more environmentally-friendly shipping on a given route. 

In particular, the UK and the US have agreed to launch a special Green Shipping Corridor Task Force focussed on bringing together experts in the sector, encouraging vital research and development, and driving other important work and projects to see these initiatives come to life as quickly as possible. 

Committing to roll out green shipping corridors will help the sector to comply with the Paris Agreement goal of limiting global temperature rise to 1.5°C by the end of the century. 

This follows the success of the UK-led Clydebank Declaration at COP26 – the ground-breaking global initiative to provide a framework for governments to establish zero-emission shipping routes between ports.  

Transport Secretary Mark Harper said:

The challenges posed by climate change are clear and the need to decarbonise maritime has never been greater. 

That’s why we’ve committed to work alongside global partners to clean up the sector, improve air quality in and around our ports and coastal communities, and drive green investment into our economy. 

But we must not lose momentum. I’m delighted to say the UK has agreed to begin developing green shipping routes with some of our closest allies, as we work together to realise the ambitions of the Paris Agreement and limit global warming.

The international maritime sector is currently responsible for almost 3% of global emissions – if it were a country, it would be the world’s 8th largest emitter.

However, the UK has already made significant progress, with the Global Maritime Forum calling the UK the most proactive government in the Clydebank Declaration in terms of stakeholder engagement. 

The UK, alongside its counterparts in the Zero Emission Shipping Mission, also recently published an action plan to remove obstacles to creating a greener maritime sector, from clean energy ports to zero-emission vessels and the green fuels that will be needed to develop green shipping corridors. 

Ben Murray, CEO of Maritime UK, said:

Green shipping corridors have the potential to catalyse decarbonisation in the maritime sector by focusing on specific maritime routes.

Not only can they help to identify and action the solutions needed for a given corridor by aligning vessels with infrastructure, but they can also demonstrate the UK’s leadership and pitch to the rest of the world as we all seek to accelerate our progress toward net zero. Be that finance, professional services, technology, or manufacturing.

Maritime UK and its members are committed to developing green corridors and look forward to working closely with partners from the US, Norway, and the Netherlands to make them a reality.

The UK continues to play a leading role in climate negotiations at the International Maritime Organization, working with its partners to raise global decarbonisation ambitions. 

The government also recently launched a £60 million clean maritime demonstration competition on World Maritime Day, so tankers, cruise ships, ports and the wider maritime sector can help to play their part in slashing emissions and boosting economic growth.  

UK Chamber of Shipping CEO Sarah Treseder said:

Green corridors can play an essential role in stimulating early action to adopt low and net-zero emission technologies and fuels. Today’s announcement is a welcome step in the international action required to decarbonise shipping.

The UK shipping community is committed to working with the UK government in securing bold action at the International Maritime Organization to provide more ambitious and concrete decarbonisation strategies.