Future of Wellingborough park home manufacturer Tingdene Homes up in air as firm faces winding up petition

The future of a park homes manufacturing business in Wellingborough appears to be up in the air following the filing of a winding up petition at the High Court.

Tingdene Homes Limited has been named as the litigant in a winding up petition submitted to the court by Edmundson Electrical Limited – the UK’s largest electrical distributor.

The news comes after staff spoke of their concerns being put on on short-term lay off following recent financial difficulties.

Workers based at the firm’s Finedon Road Industrial Estate base in Bradfield Road said earlier this month they had not been paid. They had expected their wages to be paid on the last day of the month (October) were horrified to discover their salaries hadn’t appeared in their bank accounts.

A member of staff who contacted the Northants Telegraph said they wanted the company to be ‘honest’ with workers saying the situation was ‘absolutely awful’.

They said: “They need to be honest. This company should never be in this position. Their name is mud. People are worried sick because most of the employees are men they are the main breadwinners. It’s absolutely shocking. I’m an absolute wreck. They need to do the right thing.”

At the end of the summer the company made some staff redundant. Their August wages were late with directors giving different excuses – there had been a ‘banking error’, there weren’t ‘enough funds’, there had been an the ‘error by the company’ and they were delayed because of the bank holiday.

August and September wages were paid in full, but at the end of October, having already asked staff’s permission for to change payment dates, employees then received less than 20 percent of their wages.

Staff on short-term lay off have not been paid – as per their contracts – and left unable to claim any benefits or sign up to agencies because they are still employed.

According to government regulations there’s no limit for how long employees can be laid off or put on short-time. People can apply for redundancy and claim redundancy pay if it has been four weeks in a row or six weeks in a 13-week period, with workers entitled to full pay unless contracts allows unpaid or reduced pay lay-offs.

If a contract allows unpaid or reduced pay lay-offs, people are entitled to guarantee pay during lay off or short-time working. The maximum is £31 a day for five days in any three-month period - a maximum of £150.

The staff member added: “Technically we are in limbo – we are up **** creek.”

In 2019, Tingdene, celebrated 50 years in business. According to the latest accounts, in May 2022, Tingdene underwent a major restructure, following the sale and lease back of its land and buildings for £6.9 million. This allowed the business to clear its overdraft, pay off the bank loan and improve its ‘working capital position’. A new company was formed called Scott Alexander Ltd who acquired 100 percent shareholding in Tingdene Homes Ltd.

According to an alert on Companies House, Tingdene’s accounts are overdue – they were due by September 30, 2023. Their next confirmation statement is due in December 2023.

A series of questions to Tingdene Homes from our reporter have gone unanswered.