Former firm behind Withy Arms made to pay £25k over unfair sacking
Written by Skywave Radio News on July 3, 2020
The former company behind a Lancashire pub has been ordered to pay more than £25,000 after it was found it unfairly sacked one of its employees.
Leyland Park Ltd, which had been trading as the Withy Arms Leyland up until June 2019, has been told to pay up £25,567.46 after former company employee John Travill filed an unfair dismissal claim.
An employment tribunal was subsequently held, with Employment Judge David Franey ruling in favour of Mr Travill.
The decision was taken after Leyland Park Ltd did not offer any formal rebuttal to the claims despite being offered the opportunity.
In the ruling, which took place in May and was published in June, Employment Judge Franey ordered Leyland Park Ltd to pay Mr Travill a basic payment of £2,481 and a compensatory payment of £19,423.14 in relation to being unfairly sacked.
A further £1,654 in damages was awarded over a breach of contract, with a further £1,654 awarded in relation to failing to give Mr Travill a written statement over the terms of his employment.
Mr Travill was also awarded £346.32 for unauthorised deductions from his pay.
The tribunal was relating to the period between February 5, 2019 and May 19, 2020.
Leyland Park Ltd was liquidated in June 2019 after being declared insolvent, meaning it could not pay its debts.
Financial documents at the time of liquidation show the company had zero assets and a winding up order started on May 24, 2019.
Documents show that at the time the company had debts of over £21,000, including £9,861.80 to HM Revenue and Customs as well as £6,411.43 to Bruntwood Energy.
Until June 2019, Leyland Park Ltd had been registered to the same address as the Withy Arms pub in Bamber Bridge, run by local businessman Lee Forshaw.
To this day, Mr Forshaw is still listed as a director of Leyland Park Ltd on Companies House.
Until September 1, 2018, he had also been a person with significant control. The government website says this is “someone who owns or controls” a company.
He seceded this control on September 1, 2018.
On the same day Forshaw Holdings Ltd, a company which Lee Forshaw is also a director of, was appointed to the position.
Despite his involvement in the business, Mr Forshaw declined to comment on the employment tribunal when approached by LancsLive.
He only moved to say the company no longer has any affiliation to the Withy Arms in Leyland.
