December 18, 2015

Late payment continues to put a strain on businesses according to recent research

The problem of having to wait on money owed was particularly acute in sectors such as manufacturing, services and retail.

Phillip Sykes, from R3, said that late payment often hobbled firms’ plans to expand and could place businesses at risk of liquidation in the most serious cases.

“The UK’s late payment problem is a persistent one, and puts unnecessary strain on the finances of businesses,” he said.

“Businesses having to wait too long to receive money owed can have a harmful knock-on effect not only on their own business but further down their supply chain too.

“The rise in the proportion of businesses in a position to expand is a positive indicator. However, with businesses looking to expand, cash-flow becomes increasingly important and late payment can needlessly jeopardise access to cash. Being paid late and being paid inconsistently prevents businesses from being able to plan ahead with confidence.”

A separate study earlier this month found that the average SME in Britain was owed £12,000 in overdue payments and that almost a quarter of small businesses had reported a brush with insolvency as a result of the problem.

At Royds our dispute resolution team has a wealth of experience representing clients in cases involving complicated insolvency laws. For more information please visit or contact Stewart Wilkinson or Ashok Patel.

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