Cleveland Fire Brigade Risk Management CIC Collapse: Directors Ousted, & Creditors Left Empty-Handed...

Ian Hayton, David Henderson & Karen Winter, all directors of the now collapsed Cleveland Fire Brigade Risk Management CIC have been ousted from their roles as Directors, as creditors are told to expect nothing back from the failed business..

27th August 2025

Updated 2nd Sep 2025

The collapse of the public firm Cleveland Fire Brigade Risk Management Services CIC has taken another dramatic turn, with its last remaining directors — Ian Hayton, David Henderson, and Karen Winter — officially ousted from their roles according to Companies House, with creditors reportedly warned to expect little, if any, return on the millions they're owed.

The Teesside & Durham Post understands that liquidators late last month stripped the directors of their roles, as they continue combing through the wreckage of the failed company’s finances. What began as a battle in the High Court over unpaid tax & National Insurance has now revealed a much deeper financial black hole.

Just weeks ago, we reported how HM Revenue & Customs had been pursuing the company over a substantial tax bill. Despite repeated opportunities to settle, the CIC failed to pay, resulting in a High Court bankruptcy ruling. Initial estimates suggested Cleveland Fire Brigades side-line corporation was sitting on debts of around £1 million pounds — but liquidators have since revised this figure upwards, uncovering liabilities of at least £2 million.

Attempts were blatantly made to Mask the Collapse

It is claimed the directors then sought to pull the wool over creditors’ eyes by attempting to set up a new company under a similar name. HMRC and the High Court however quickly identified the move, with the judge not only ordering the closing down the debt-ridden CIC but also blocking the new entity.

Further revelations emerged that Cleveland Fire Authority — whose finances are overseen by a former Hartlepool Borough Council official with a chequered record — had loaned substantial sums to the CIC. These debts were then 'written off', ultimately leaving local taxpayers to shoulder the burden.

Considerable Reputational Damage to Cleveland Fire Authority..

The CIC’s collapse has sent shockwaves through the region, with concerns emerging that businesses are now already said to be reluctant to engage with Cleveland Fire Brigade or any ventures connected to its failed sideline enterprise.

Ironically, the Fire Authority’s own legal officer resigned from the CIC just weeks before HMRC’s bankruptcy petition. That officer, according to sources has since admitted the reputational damage to the Authority is “significant.”

The Teesside & Durham Post also understands that regulators are also said to be considering an investigation into whether the CIC’s directors had foreknowledge of the looming collapse, and whether any illegal practices took place during its final months.

What’s Next?

For creditors, many of which likely to be small struggling independent businesses, the outlook appears bleak. Despite liquidators’ efforts, its said that few now expect to see any meaningful repayment on the money they've lost. For taxpayers, the sting may come in the form of written-off loans and damaged confidence in unelected public figures who's activities with previous local government institutions appears to have been passed onto as they moved onto juicier necks to bite.

What remains clear however is that the downfall of Cleveland Fire Brigade Risk Management CIC represents not just a financial disaster, but a serious blow to public trust in the stewardship of taxpayer-linked enterprises, with those seemingly linked to the failed corporation facing no accountability, no criminal charges & no consequences for their failure to manage a corporation to even the most basic requirements.