Winding-up orders were made against Crown Agents Limited and Greenshields Cowie & Co. Limited on 1 August 2024.
The court appointed the Official Receiver, Gareth Jonathan Allen, as liquidator of:
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Crown Agents Limited (company number: 03259922)
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Greenshields Cowie & Co. Limited (company number: 00337651)
The Official Receiver will wind-down the companies in accordance with his statutory duties. He also has a duty to inquire into the cause of the companies’ failure and conduct of current and former directors.
Information for employees
You can apply to the Insolvency Service for redundancy and other payments if:
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you worked for Crown Agents Limited or Greenshields Cowie & Co. Limited
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you live in England, Scotland or Wales.
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If you are a UK National and worked overseas.
A “UK National” is defined as “A British citizen with the exception of the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man”.
Eligibility for statutory redundancy and other payments from the Redundancy Payments Service is as follows:
| Scenario | Eligibility |
|---|---|
| Foreign nationals working abroad for UK company | No entitlement to payments from the UK Redundancy Payments Service. |
| UK Nationals working abroad for UK company | Any time spent working abroad will not count towards reckonable service for the calculation of statutory redundancy pay unless the claimant can show that they made National Insurance contributions to the UK treasury while working abroad. Only the time spent working in the UK will count towards a statutory redundancy payment calculation. Unpaid wages, holiday pay, and notice pay will be paid as normal |
| UK Nationals living and working in the UK | Statutory entitlements to redundancy and related payments are payable by the UK Redundancy Payments Service. |
| Foreign nationals living and working in the UK | Payable by the UK Redundancy Payments Service as normal due to having made National Insurance contributions. |
| Contractors | Not “employees” for the purposes of payment and therefore cannot claim from the Redundancy Payments Service. |
You cannot apply to the Insolvency Service if you live in Northern Ireland. Find out about your rights in Northern Ireland if your employer is insolvent.
We have guidance to help explain what to do if you are made redundant. This includes information on:
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who is eligible to receive redundancy payments
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what redundancy payments you can apply for
How to apply for redundancy payments
The Official Receiver will give you details about how to apply and will also give you a case reference number (for example CN12345678).
To contact the Official Receiver for this information, please email: Crown.Agents@insolvency.gov.uk and title your email Employee Query:
The Official Receiver will ask you for your full name, National Insurance number, date of birth, the company you were employed by and employee number before issuing you with a case reference number.
Once you have the case reference number, you can apply online.
We have information explaining how we calculate and make payments to you.
Paying your claim
On average it takes 12 days to process and pay claims. However, sometimes we need to get additional information which can take a bit of time. We will contact you directly if we need anything further from you. We always try to pay eligible claims within six weeks of receiving the application.
To allow us to deal with everyone’s application as quickly as possible, please do not contact us to check the status of your application until after the six weeks have passed.
Getting help with your application for redundancy payments
If you need help completing your application, you can contact the Redundancy Payments helpline on 0330 331 0020.
When calling, please have your case reference number and National Insurance number to hand.
You can also contact us using our online contact form.
If you need to email us after submitting your claim, only use the email address you gave on your application form. Otherwise, we won’t be able to respond to you for security reasons.
Other support available to you
Information about helping you find work and claim benefits.
Information for creditors
You will need to register as a creditor in the liquidations of Crown Agents Ltd and/ or Greenshields Cowie & Co. Limitedif:
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you have paid the companies in liquidation for goods or services that you have not received
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you are a worker or self-employed contractor who provided services to the companies in liquidation
To register as a creditor in either company, you will need to complete a Proof of Debt form, clearly identifying which company owes you money,which you should then email to: Crown.Agents@insolvency.gov.uktitling your email Proof of Debt
Information for sub-contractors
If you are a sub-contractor of Crown Agents Limited or Greenshields Cowie & Co. Limited and are owed money, then you should register as a creditor and will need to complete a Proof of Debt form, which you should then email to: Crown.Agents@insolvency.gov.uk
If you were a sub-contractor of another company in the Crown Agents Limited group, you should contact that company if you have any concerns.
Am I employed directly by the Crown Agents companies in liquidation?
Self-employed contractors and agency workers who provide services to the companies are not employed directly by the Crown Agents companies in liquidation. This means that different procedures will apply to you regarding the continuation of your contract or seeking redress, should your employment have stopped.
Am I entitled to the same benefits paid to the staff of the Crown Agents companies in liquidation?
Self-employed contractors and agency workers are not eligible to apply for redundancy payments should your contract have ceased.
I’m an employer and may have to make people redundant – is there any advice available?
Yes. The ACAS website has a useful information document at www.acas.org.uk/media/pdf/1/1/Redundancy-handling-accessible-
