Member Article

Former SD Taylor Limited ‘Loans at Home’ employees to pursue legal action

Employees affected by the collapse of the lender SD Taylor Limited, which trades as Loans at Home, are looking to pursue legal action against the company over claims the redundancy process wasn’t properly managed.

Based in Leeds, the company had more than 50 branches across the UK when it went into administration on 15th of March, 2022, with reports suggesting that the company could not recover from the closure of NSF’s guarantor loans division in June 2021.

According to the company’s website, Chris Laverty, Trevor O’Sullivan and Andrew Charters of Grant Thornton UK LLP have been appointed as Joint Administrators.

The employment law team at Aticus Law says it has already been contacted by a number of former employees who have now lost their jobs, and who claim they were not properly consulted over the redundancy process.

The firm is now looking into the claims, with a view to pursuing legal action against them over the redundancy process was managed.

If successful, those involved in the challenge will be entitled to claim a Protective Award which is up to eight weeks’ worth of pay in compensation, with a cap of £544 per week.

Other employees affected by the collapse of SD Taylor Limited can check whether they are eligible to make a claim on the Aticus Law website here.

Speaking about the legal action, employment law expert Mohammed Balal of Aticus Law said: “The collapse of SD Taylor Limited will no doubt have come as a real shock to its many employees.

“They’ve had their lives turned upside down as a consequence of the collapse, and it’s understandable that they’re worried about the future.

“While many people believe that since the business has entered into administration there is nothing that can be done, those affected actually have the right pursue a claim and seek compensation from the Redundancy services.

Under the current employment law if a business is making more than 20 employees redundant at one establishment, they must follow the correct consultation process.

“We’re obviously in the very early stages of understanding what happened in this instance, based on what our clients are telling us, that didn’t happen at SD Taylor Limited.”

Mohammed went on to explain that the firm is now investigating whether there are grounds to claim for a Protective Award, which is basically compensation awarded by an Employment Tribunal if an employer fails in its duties.

He added: “It’s a really vital safety net for so many families in fast-paced redundancy situations that often leave them with no source of income and absolutely no notice.

“However, many people don’t realise that you can only get a Protective Award payment if you are included as part of the claim and are listed as part of the Schedule of Claimants attached to the Tribunal Judgment.

“You can’t simply watch from the side-lines while ex-colleagues take the legal challenge forward. It’s important to make sure your name and specific job title is included.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Isabella Storey .