Early day motion tabled by primary sponsor Paul Farrelly (Labour), on Wednesday, 24 March 2010, in the House of Commons. It is signed by 12 members in total.

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BUSINESS RATE WRITE-OFFS AND NEWCASTLE-UNDER-LYME COUNCIL

That this House is dismayed at the conduct of the Conservative-led cabinet of Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council in again writing-off, behind closed doors, business rates owed by companies connected to former Councillor Peter Whieldon; believes it has again failed to show leadership by not making public comment about Mr Whieldon and his associates' continuing shameless conduct; notes that this is the fourth time in four years it has written off, in secret, debts owed by their insolvent companies; further notes that the ??22,608 and ??9,248 written off in respect of Stones Entertainment Limited (The Albion Inn) and T1V Limited (Union, former Bull's Vaults) brings to ??91,128 the rates their collapsed companies have avoided paying in Newcastle; further notes that total bad debts left behind by their trail of insolvencies in North Staffordshire now tops ??1.6 million, including over ??250,000 to HM Revenue and Customs; further notes that honest traders in town, who pay their dues, are appalled by this conduct and the council's lack of courage; calls on Companies Investigation Branch and the Registrar of Companies to swiftly conclude enquiries into directors' and shadow directors' conduct at the 13 companies which have serially collapsed; and further calls on the Leader of Newcastle Council and members of its cabinet to join the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme in asking HM Revenue and Customs to review the tax affairs of those involved and for Staffordshire Police, in co-operation with all agencies, to investigate prima facie evidence of a long-running conspiracy to defraud creditors.

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Secondary information

Type

Early day motion

Reference

1183 

Session

2009-10

Other sponsors

Ann Cryer

Mark Fisher

Charlotte Atkins

Derek Wyatt

Alan Simpson

Subjects

Conduct Debts written off Business rates Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council

Link

View this Early day motion on www.parliament.uk