A North West furniture manufacturer has been refused a restricted HGV operator licence after a traffic commissioner raised concerns about repeated business failures and successor companies.
Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchliffe rejected the application by Valiant Furniture (NW) Ltd, which had sought authority to operate two vehicles. The company’s sole director, S J Urmston, attended a public inquiry in Haydock on 14 July 2026.
The inquiry considered the history of several companies controlled by Mr Urmston that had previously held operator licences before entering insolvency. The written decision said the companies left significant liabilities to HMRC, banks, suppliers and other creditors.
According to the decision, successive companies built up deficiencies ranging from hundreds of thousands of pounds to almost £1 million before new businesses were established and continued trading under similar names.
Mr Hinchliffe found that the repeated pattern of incorporating successor companies, liquidating predecessor businesses and continuing trading activities amounted to a serious problem. He described it in the written decision as classic Phoenix Syndrome.
The commissioner acknowledged that Mr Urmston had not been disqualified as a director, had no known relevant convictions, and that there had been no recorded regulatory action against the previous operator licences. The applicant also appeared to have sufficient financial resources for a two-vehicle restricted licence.
However, Mr Hinchliffe said he was not satisfied that the applicant was fit to hold an operator’s licence. He found the pattern of corporate failures could not be adequately explained by factors cited by Mr Urmston, including withdrawn banking facilities, the Covid-19 pandemic and supplier issues.