A number of businessmen and women have been banned this year by the Insolvency Service from being directors of a company.

The bans range from three to 11 years and have been handed down for a number of reasons, including for discrepancies in paying tax, fraudulently claiming bounce back loans, and failing to declare funds.

This means that regardless of whether their company folded or not, the people issued with the bans will not be allowed to be a director of any company, including their own, for the length of time imposed by the Insolvency Service. 

Here, we've brought you a round up of all the Lancashire directors disqualified in 2023.

Accrington businessman claimed £50,000 bounce back loan

A failed Accrington businessman has been banned from being a director of any company for a period of 10 years after fraudulently claiming £50,000 in bounce back loans when he was not entitled to.

Shamim Ahmed Miah claimed the loan for his company, Crowd Enterprises Ltd, after stating that the company’s turnover was £250,000 when in fact it had been zero.

On May 7 2020, Miah, 43, applied for a bounce back loan of £50,000. Under the bounce back loan scheme, which was designed to enable businesses to access finance more quickly during the coronavirus outbreak, businesses could apply for a loan of between £2,000 and £50,000 subject to a maximum of 25 percent of the company’s turnover.

Full story here: Accrington businessman claimed £50,000 bounce back loan

Lancashire Telegraph: The Insolvency ServiceThe Insolvency Service (Image: The Insolvency Service)

Andrew and Clare Novak from Rawtenstall banned from business

Two people have been banned from being a company director for three years after their hospitality firm went bust owing more than £700,000 to HM Revenue and Customs.

Andrew Novak and Clare Novak, both from Rawtenstall, were directors of TFP Hospitality Limited when it went into liquidation in July 2021.

TFP Hospitality Ltd was incorporated in April 2009 and had previously traded under the names The Village Stores (Helmshaw) Ltd until June 2010, and then The Village Stores (Helmshore) Ltd between June 2010 and May 2020.

Full story here: Andrew and Clare Novak from Rawtenstall banned from business

Lancashire Telegraph: Andrew NovakAndrew Novak (Image: Archive)

Burnley construction boss banned for 10 years over tax fraud

A company boss who fraudulently claimed more than £100,000 from a Construction Industry Scheme has been banned from being a director for 10 years.

Penka Vasileva, of Travis Street, Burnley, caused Burnley-based Penka Services Ltd to fraudulently claim a Construction Industry Scheme (CIS) payment of £111,527 from HM Revenue and Customs for the tax period ending February 5, 2020.

The CIS allows contractors to deduct money from a subcontractor’s payments to pass it directly to HMRC, which then count as advance payments towards the subcontractor’s tax and National Insurance.

Full story here: Burnley construction boss banned for 10 years over tax fraud

Burnley businessman's director ban after £170k tax scam

A businessman has been banned from being a director of a company after fraudulently claiming more than £170,000 from HMRC under the Construction Industry Scheme.

Stoyan Petkov Kostov, of Travis Street, Burnley, abused the government’s Construction Industry Scheme by claiming payments totalling at least £170,284 from HM Revenue and Customs for his company Kostov Group Ltd.

Under the Construction Industry Scheme (CIS), contractors deduct money from a subcontractor’s payments and pass it to HMRC.

Full story here: Burnley businessman's director ban after £170k tax scam

Lancashire Telegraph: Stock construction site imageStock construction site image (Image: PA)

Blackburn discount store director failed to submit VAT

The director of a discount store has been banned from being in charge of any company for seven years after failing to submit the correct VAT returns.

A notice from the Insolvency Service states Irfan Banglawala, whose last known address was in  Belle Vue Street, Blackburn, failed to ensure that his firm, C.R. Discount Stores Ltd (County Road Discount Store, Liverpool), submitted accurate VAT returns.

The inaccurate returns dated as far back as January 7, 2017, and resulted in undeclared tax to HM Revenue and Custom totalling £117,920.02.

Full story here: Blackburn discount store director failed to submit VAT

Lancashire Telegraph: H.I.S. Bathrooms LtdH.I.S. Bathrooms Ltd (Image: Google Maps)

H.I.S. Bathrooms boss banned over Covid-19 loan lies

The owner of a plumbers’ merchants has been banned from running a business after lying about his firm's turnover to get a bigger Covid-19 bounce back loan.

Imran Shahzad, 45, was the director of H.I.S. Bathrooms Ltd, based in North Street, Nelson.

Records from the Insolvency Service show Shahzad, of Every Street, Nelson, has been disqualified from being a company director for eight years after obtaining a loan the company was not entitled to.

Around May 20, 2020, Shahzad made an application for a Covid-19 Bounce Back Loan of £50,000 it was not entitled to.

Full story here: H.I.S. Bathrooms boss banned over Covid-19 loan lies

10 year ban for Lancashire man who claimed bounce back loan

A man from Lancashire has been banned from being the director of any company for 10 years after taking out a bounce back loan based on false turnover figures.

Marcin Tomasz Ciemiega, 44, was the director of freight transport firm M.C.Transporter Ltd, and in September 2020 applied for a Coronavirus bounce back loan of £35,000.

A note on the Insolvency Service register states that under the bounce back loan scheme, businesses could apply for a loan of between £2,000 and £50,000 subject to a maximum of up to 25 per cent of turnover.

Full story here: 10 year ban for Lancashire man who claimed bounce back loan

Lancashire Telegraph: Lynne Kenyon took £100,000 in Covid Bounce Back LoansLynne Kenyon took £100,000 in Covid Bounce Back Loans (Image: PA)

Kenyons Pallets boss banned from business for 10 years

A woman who applied for two Government Covid-19 loans for her worth £100,000 before transferring them into her own account to has been banned from running a business for 10 years.

Lynne Kenyon, 50, also known as Lynne Janeczko, of Dale View, Billington, caused Kenyons Pallets Ltd, based in Sycamore Walk, Rishton, to apply for the two Bounce Back Loans in May 2020, which were designed to help companies to recover from the disruption caused by the first Covid-19 pandemic lockdown.

However, businesses were only entitled to apply for one loan.

Full story here: Kenyons Pallets boss banned from business for 10 years

Lancashire Telegraph: The Insolvency ServiceThe Insolvency Service (Image: The Insolvency Service)

Director applied for two bounce back loans totalling £100,000

A Lancashire man has been disqualified from being a director of a company for 11 years after applying for two bounce back loans worth £100,000 when he was not entitled to.

John Goodrick, 53, of Cock Robin Lane, Catterall, Preston, applied for two bounce back loans for his firm Pantheon Energy Solutions Limited, totalling £100,000, contrary to the terms of the bounce back loan scheme.

During the pandemic, a Company was entitled to apply for one bounce back loan of up to 25 per cent of its 2019 turnover up to a maximum of £50,000 under the bounce back loan scheme.

Full story here: Director applied for two bounce back loans totalling £100,000

Business boss disqualified for six years

A company director from Ramsbottom has been banned after failing to keep adequate accounting records for his business.

Stephen Green, 54, failed to present up to date accounting records after his company went into liquidation in 2021.

Mr Green, of Burnley Road, was the company director of RBT Project Management but did not provide the Insolvency Service with accounting records for a three-year period between March 2019 and May 2021.

As a result, the Insolvency Service, a government agency which works with businesses with financial difficulties, says it has been unable to determine whether Mr Green paid back an overdrawn balance on a Directors Loan Account (DLA).

Full story here: Business boss disqualified for six years

Lancashire Telegraph: Gas MeterGas Meter (Image: PA)

Preston loft installation boss banned from being a director

The director of a loft and gas installation company, which was trading for less than a year, has been banned after the firm's books failed to account for just over £1.8m.

Marc Giddings incorporated Preston Loft and Gas Installers Ltd on February 12, 2019.

The firm went into liquidation on November 20, 2019, and a notice from the Insolvency Service claims he failed to ensure his company “maintained and/or preserved adequate accounting records or, in the alternative, failed to deliver up to the liquidator all of the records as were maintained".

Full story here: Preston loft installation boss banned from being a director