Wilkin Chapman partner appointed liquidator of Public Safety Charitable Trust

A partner at law firm Wilkin Chapman has been appointed the liquidator of the Public Safety Charitable Trust.

The appointment of Christopher Garwood follows a meeting of creditors held at the Official Receiver's office, Manchester, on 5 September.

Public Safety Charitable Trust Limited was wound up on 8 July on the petition of one of the local authorities affected by its activities.

In May the PSCT lost its case against three local authorities which contested its claim for charitable relief on business premises unoccupied other than for the location in and transmission from them of ‘public safety’ messages from Bluetooth transmitters.

Commenting on the winding-up order, Chris Garwood said: “The loss to the public purse in relation to the NNDR [National Non-Domestic Rates], which was subsequently correctly levied against the company, is many millions of pounds.

“The total amount will only be fully quantified when we are able to examine the charity’s records and liaise with the local authorities, throughout the country, who have been affected by its activities.”

See also: Business rates and the PSCT ruling