Cleaning director banned for misconduct

Philip Walker, the former director of Solus Facilities Limited, has been disqualified from acting as a company director for seven years following an investigation by the Insolvency Service. His actions included using the controversial Atherton scheme to evade more than half a million pounds worth of debt owed by his now-defunct cleaning company. Facing significant financial difficulties by April 2023, Walker opted not to follow standard insolvency procedures. Instead, he paid £16,500 to Atherton Corporate (UK) Ltd to offload his company’s liabilities, navigating around protocols intended to protect creditors.

While attempting to secure a financial lifeboat through the Atherton scheme, Walker set up a new company, Carbon White Group Ltd, and continued to access Solus Facilities Limited’s bank account. Between November 2023 and January 2024, he siphoned off nearly £200,000 from his insolvent business to fund his new venture, fully aware of the company’s impending insolvency and liquidation, which ultimately occurred in September 2024.

Reflecting on Walker’s conduct, Dave Magrath, Director of Investigation and Enforcement Services at the Insolvency Service, noted, “Philip Walker made payments to his new company when he knew his former business had no reasonable prospect of avoiding liquidation, leaving creditors seriously out of pocket”. He emphasised the impact of such actions on affected creditors and asserted the ongoing commitment to pursue those who engage in what is termed “abusive phoenixism”, where individuals use multiple companies in a bid to escape debt obligations.

Following the wider fallout from the Atherton scheme, several associates, including Karen Mortimer, Walker’s replacement as director of Solus Facilities, were disqualified from company directorship for similar offences. The scheme itself has seen multiple entities wound up under public interest clauses, and the investigations continue, with authorities executing search warrants as part of broader criminal inquiries.

Walker’s disqualification commenced on 15 May 2026, effectively barring him from engaging in any company management without court permission, as the impact of the troubled scheme ripples through the corporate landscape.