WESTLAKES SCIENTIFIC CONSULTING LIMITED – IN ADMINISTRATION
PRESS RELEASE
DATE
15 JULY 2010
WESTLAKES SCIENTIFIC CONSULTING LIMITED – IN ADMINISTRATION Ian Green and David Kelly of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP were appointed Joint Administrators of Westlakes Scientific Consulting Limited on 15 July 2010.
Westlakes Scientific Consulting Limited provides environmental consulting and health research services to public and private sector clients, on a UK and international basis. The company employs 65 staff across 2 sites in Cumbria and is a subsidiary of CentraLan Holdings Limited and ultimately the University of Central Lancashire.
The business has three specialist divisions, Environmental Science, Absence Management and Genetics and Epidemiology and has a long track record in the successful delivery of services to both the public and private sector. The appointment of administrators is the result of a decrease in funding available to support new research contracts to replace those coming to an end and a significant pension scheme deficit. Ian Green, Joint Administrator, of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP sald:
“The research completed by Westlakes Scientific Consulting Limited is clearly of significant importance to the UK, particularly the nuclear industry. We are therefore working closely with key stakeholders to identify a positive outcome for the administration. We are currently exploring the possibility of a sale and are extremely keen to speak to anyone interested in acquiring all or part of the business.”
Dr. Graham Baldwin, Chairman of Westlakes Scientific Consulting said:
“It is with great regret that today the Board of Westlakes Scientific Consulting has appointed administrators to the business. The primary reason for this step is a downturn in sales and the scale of the company’s pension liabilities which have had a serious impact on its ability to continue as a going concern. The administrators will be working with the management of the business to secure the best outcome for all stakeholders including both staff and creditors.”
The announcement today has no impact on the remainder of CentraLan Holdings Limited or the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) as a whole. There will be no impact on students studying at the Westlakes campus or the courses offered by UCLan as a result of the announcement today.