All Seasons will not apply for new licence
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DTC believes the haulier was “disingenuous” when it failed to declare the financial position of related firm
roger.brown@rbi.co.uk ALL SEASONS Contracting Co, which failed to declare the troubled inancial position of related irm Masterdek in its original O-licence application, says it will not apply for a new licence.
In a written decision following a public inquiry (PI) in January, West Midlands Deputy Trafic Commissioner (DTC) Fiona Harrington said she would revoke the Stourbridge irm’s authorisation for three vehicles from 28 February, unless the irm lodged a “complete and fully compliant application” for a licence before this date.
However, All Seasons has conirmed to CM that although the irm will continue to trade, it will not apply for a new O-licence.
All Seasons directors William Oliver and Chris Davis were also directors of shopitting specialist Masterdek, which went into liquidation in December 2009. The report to Masterdek creditors said that by the autumn of 2009 the company was unable to cover its overhead costs, was losing money on a monthly basis and matters had became “very serious” . Furthermore, the report added that Masterdek could not continue trading and that there had been a “substantial estimated deiciency” covering the period from October 2008 to December 2009.
All Seasons had applied for an O-licence in October 2009 and was granted it a month later. Davis stated that All Seasons was being awarded the shopitting contract for Lloyds Pharmacy previously held by Masterdek, and needed an O-licence in its own right.
In a letter to the DTC’s ofice on 3 November 2009, Davis said that no in solvency of Masterdek was anticipated and that Masterdek did “not face any impending administration/foreseeable inancial dificulties” .
According to the DTC, All Seasons had been “disingenuous” in its dealings with her. She added: “I do not ind it credible that the directors of Masterdek, including Mr Davis, a chartered accountant, were not aware of the inancial dificulties of the company as at 3 November 2009 and that, accordingly, the statement made by Mr Davis in writing as at that date was false.
“If Mr Davis had declared the actual inancial position of Masterdek in his response, further enquiries would have resulted and the application is likely to have been referred for consideration by a TC.”