WIREDGOV

CS Solutions (UK) Limited was incorporated in March 2011 and started trading shortly after. The company carried out market research and customer satisfaction surveys for Local Authorities, including the London Borough of Southwark. The work was performed by telephone and in face-to-face meetings with customers. In March 2013 the contract with Southwark ended. CS Solutions was unable to secure another contract so it ceased trading in December 2013 and was placed into Liquidation in January 2014.

The Insolvency service investigation found that Ms Hopkin had failed to ensure that CS Solutions (UK) Limited maintained and/or preserved adequate accounting records, or, that she had she failed to deliver up accounting records to the liquidator.

As a consequence it has not been possible to:

• establish the accuracy and amounts of employee claims in the Liquidation totaling £77,292
• explain the difference between activity on the bank account, and turnover and expenses in the accounts
• account for income and expenditure of the Company between March 2013 and December 2013
• verify a claim in the Liquidation for £127,646 made by Ms Hopkins
• determine the liability to HMRC in respect of VAT, PAYE/NIC

At the date of Liquidation CS Solutions (UK) Limited had no assets and estimated liabilities of £311,015. Commenting on the disqualification, Cheryl Lambert, Chief Investigator at the Insolvency Service, said:

Directors have a duty to maintain and preserve adequate accounting records. They must also deliver these records up to a Liquidator if the company is placed into Liquidation. Directors who do not comply with this can expect to be investigated by the Insolvency Service and enforcement action taken to remove them from the market place.

Ms Hopkins has failed to keep records and as consequence employee claims cannot be verified and income and expenditure cannot be accounted for. Taking action against Ms Hopkins is a warning to directors to seriously consider their duties and obligations.

Notes to editors

C S Solutions (UK) Ltd (CRO 07551066) was incorporated on 3 March 2011. Its registered office was 12 Overstone Gardens, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 7NS. It traded from the same address.

C S Solutions (UK) Ltd was placed into Liquidation on 10 January 2014.

Marie Louise Hopkins is of 12 Overstone Gardens, Croydon, Surrey, CR0 7NS. Her date of birth is 10 October 1959.

The Secretary of State accepted an undertaking from Marie Louise Hopkins on 16 November 2015. The disqualification commences on 7 December 2015.

A disqualification order or undertaking 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

In addition that person cannot act as an insolvency practitioner and there are many other restrictions are placed on disqualified directors by other regulations. Further information on director disqualifications and restrictions is available.

The Insolvency Service administers the insolvency regime, investigating all compulsory liquidations and individual insolvencies (bankruptcies) through the Official Receiver to establish why they became insolvent. It may also use powers under the Companies Act 1985 to conduct confidential fact-finding investigations into the activities of live limited companies in the UK. In addition, the agency authorises and regulates the insolvency profession, deals with disqualification of directors in corporate failures, assesses and pays statutory entitlement to redundancy payments when an employer cannot or will not pay employees, provides banking and investment services for bankruptcy and liquidation estate funds and advises ministers and other government departments on insolvency law and practice.

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

All public enquiries concerning the affairs of the company should be made to: Cheryl Lambert, Head of Outsourced Investigations, Investigations and Enforcement Services, The Insolvency Service, 3rd Floor, Abbey Orchard Street, London SW1P 2HT. Tel: 0207 596 6117. Email:Cheryl.Lambert@insolvency.gsi.gov.uk.