Wellingborough company Tingdene Homes Ltd ceases trading with loss of 156 jobs

All 156 employees of Tingdene Homes Ltd will lose their jobs as the Wellingborough company, that yesterday shut its doors, started its long liquidation process.

Now in the hands of specialist business advisory firm FRP, the closure comes after the directors of Tingdene Homes Ltd asked them ‘to support the entry of the company into liquidation’.

Yesterday, letters were sent to all employees telling them they had lost their jobs and advising of their rights to Redundancy Payments Service out of the national insurance fund.

A spokesman for FRP said: “Sarah Cook and Ian Corfield of specialist business advisory firm FRP have been instructed by the Directors of Tingdene Homes Ltd to support the entry of the company into liquidation.

“Tingdene Homes is a static caravan manufacturer based in Wellingborough. It has suffered a period of challenging trading conditions, leaving the business unable to meet its financial obligations as they fell due.

“The business has now ceased trading and, regrettably, all 156 employees have been made redundant.

“FRP is now working with the Directors to collate creditor information and notifications will be sent to creditors in the coming days. Once the business has entered liquidation, employees will be supported in making claims to the Redundancy Payments Service.”

Under the insolvency provisions of the Employment Rights Act 1996, any claims workers may have for unpaid wages, accrued holiday, redundancy or payment in lieu of notice may, subject to ‘certain limitations’, be paid out of the national insurance fund.

Those who have lost their jobs will have to complete online forms to make their claim for payments that will be submitted to the Liquidator starting on December 21.

In the letter to staff FRP said: “It is possible that further amounts may be due to you if your rate of pay exceeds the Redundancy Payments Service's maximum rate of pay of £643 per week. If this is the case then these amounts may rank as either preferential or unsecured claims against the Company and will be automatically recorded by my staff.”

Employees who have completed at least two years of continuous service with Tingdene Homes Ltd should qualify for redundancy pay.

But insolvency expert Paul Brindley of Midlands Business Recovery, commenting on the timing of the Creditor’s Voluntary Liquidation process, said the timing couldn’t be worse with the Christmas break imminent.

He said: “There’s never a good time. It’s awful timing.”

The liquidation process that registers those eligible for redundancy payments cannot begin until December 21. With the start date so close to Christmas and New Year, it looks likely employees will not be getting paid until after the end of the holiday period.

Families of the workers have said they are ‘fuming’ at their treatment by bosses at Tingdene Homes Ltd.

Many of the 156 workers had been put on short-term layoff and have not been paid for nearly two months when the financial difficulties first emerged.

Commenting on social media another contributor added: “Wellingborough has been dealt a blow by this and I can only hope the staff will find alternative and decent employment as quickly as possible. My heart goes out to you.”