Valiant Furniture (NW) Ltd wanted a restricted operator’s licence for two HGVs, freeing it from van deliveries and third-party hauliers. Instead, it walked into a public inquiry that dug up its director’s entire business history.
Sole director S J Urmston had run three earlier firms — all of which collapsed into insolvency. Between them they owed nearly £1.9 million, much of it to HMRC and trade creditors:
- S J Units Ltd (2003–2015): £440,000 deficiency
- S J Units (Lancashire) Ltd (2013–2023): £980,000 deficiency, including £14,000 owed to staff
- S J Units Northwest Ltd, renamed Valiant Furniture Ltd in 2021, stopped trading in February 2026 owing around £475,000
The new company, Valiant Furniture (NW) Ltd, was set up in January 2026 — just weeks before its predecessor went under.
“Classic Phoenix Syndrome”
Urmston blamed the collapses on bad luck: a bank pulling credit, a Covid hit, a supplier walking away. He denied deliberately dodging debts by hopping between companies.
Deputy Traffic Commissioner Mark Hinchliffe wasn’t buying it. He ruled the pattern amounted to “classic Phoenix Syndrome” — and pointed out the new firm’s website was still running the old Valiant Furniture branding and company number, which Urmston chalked up to an oversight.
Crucially, nobody accused the firm of running its lorries unlawfully, and Urmston has no director ban or relevant convictions. It didn’t matter. Hinchliffe said letting the licence through would “seriously blemish and undermine” trust in the whole operator-licensing system.
Bottom line: a clean compliance record won’t save an application if the boss behind it has a history of walking away from debts. The licence was refused.
