HardingBuilding

We are a North West based construction company. It is our mission to deliver the highest quality service to our clients in a safe and professional manner.

[Artur Nadolny @ArturNadol7566]

ONE WOMAN TRIED TO STOP BRITAIN'S BIGGEST CORPORATE COLLAPSE

Emma Mercer was new to her finance job at Carillion, one of Britain's biggest construction companies. Six weeks in, she found something that should have stopped everything. The numbers in the company accounts were made up. Debts were hidden. Profits were invented. Projects worth hundreds of millions of pounds were lying on paper.

She told her boss. He ignored her. She told the CEO. Same. She went to HR because she had nobody left to tell. A board member later put it in writing. Emma was a whistleblower who did not feel she was listened to.

She was right about every single thing.

So what did the board do? They cancelled the independent investigation and gave the job to KPMG @KPMG instead.

The same company that had been checking Carillion's accounts every year for 19 years and calling them healthy. The same company being paid £29 million by Carillion to do it.

MP Frank Field @frankfieldteam said it out loud in Parliament. KPMG were asked to mark their own homework.

They gave themselves top marks.

Eight months after Emma raised the alarm, Carillion collapsed. January 2018. The biggest company bankruptcy in British history.

Here is what that meant for real people. 3,000 workers lost their jobs overnight. 28,500 people saw their pensions cut. There was a £2.6 billion hole in the pension fund that ordinary workers had paid into for years. Taxpayers spent £150 million just keeping hospitals, schools and prisons running while the mess was cleaned up.

Meanwhile, the former Finance Director Richard Adam sold every share he owned on the exact day the 2016 annual report was published. He walked away with £750,000 in his pocket. The shares were worth nothing a few months later.

The regulator @FRCnews took five years to do anything. When it finally did, KPMG was fined £21 million, the biggest fine ever handed to an auditor in Britain. It also came out that KPMG staff had faked meeting notes and changed spreadsheets to fool the regulator when it came to inspect.

The lead auditor was banned from the profession for 10 years.

The fine was still less than what KPMG was paid by Carillion.

One woman walked into a new job and told the truth in her first six weeks. She was ignored and pushed aside. The executives who ignored her kept their bonuses. The auditors who backed them up kept their fees. The workers who had nothing to do with any of it lost their jobs and their pensions.

Rachel Reeves @RachelReevesMP said it at the time. The board claimed they never saw it coming. Emma Mercer saw it in a month and a half.

This is how British corporate accountability works.

Sources:
BBC News @BBCNews
The Guardian @guardian
Financial Times @FT
Private Eye @PrivateEyeNews
Accountancy Age @AccountancyAge

[The Footy Feed @TheFootyFeed]

Still lives rent free in my head this 😂

[HardingBuilding @HardingBuilding]

@rouxxy5 @JDBieberDumps J;07i

[A View From Yorkshire @models_by_Russ]

Dear Prime Minister & Home Secretary,

I hope this letter finds you well, fully caffeinated, and in possession of a calculator.

I’m writing with what I believe is a modest, fiscally responsible proposal. I understand the Government is offering up to £40,000 to certain individuals to voluntarily leave the United Kingdom. First of all — bold strategy. Nothing says “strong borders” quite like a cashback scheme.

Now, I regret to inform you that I am, in fact, a fully tax-paying, law-abiding British citizen. I know — awkward. I appreciate this may disqualify me from the premium exit package, but I’m willing to negotiate.

I would like to formally apply for £35,000 to leave.

You see, unlike some applicants, I haven’t broken any laws to get here. I didn’t arrive by dinghy. I didn’t require processing, housing, or legal appeals. I’ve actually been funding the whole operation through PAYE for years — which I believe makes me a loyal shareholder in this enterprise.

Given that you’re prepared to offer £40,000 for someone to depart voluntarily after entering illegally, I feel £35,000 for someone who’s been here legally all along represents excellent value for money. Think of it as a “Buy British, Get One Gone” discount.

For £35,000 I will:
   •   Leave quietly.
   •   Not require a press conference.
   •   Not demand a diversity officer to wave me off.
   •   Even carry my own suitcase to the airport.

I may also tweet a polite thank-you note on departure, praising the efficiency of the scheme.

Frankly, it feels like I’ve misunderstood how incentives work in modern Britain. All these years I thought obeying the law, paying taxes, and contributing to society were the winning strategy. Turns out the real pro-move is to arrive unlawfully and wait for a loyalty bonus.

Who knew?

While British families are juggling rent, energy bills, and the weekly food shop like contestants on a dystopian game show, it’s reassuring to know the Treasury has located a spare £40,000 per head for voluntary goodbyes.

May I ask — is there a points card? Ten years of National Insurance contributions and I get a free exit bonus? If so, I believe I’m overdue.

In the spirit of fairness and fiscal responsibility, I am not even asking for the full £40,000. I’m trimming £5,000 off to help balance the books. That’s the kind of responsible budgeting I was raised on.

If successful, I promise to:
   •   Leave via a scheduled flight (economy is fine).
   •   Not stage a protest on the runway.
   •   And refrain from re-entering on a small boat to see if I qualify twice.

All I ask is equal treatment. If departure is now a funded career pathway, I would very much like to submit my CV.

Yours in hopeful relocation,
A slightly confused taxpayer

[Bernie Kosar @BernieKosarQB]

15 hours post–liver transplant and I’m already ready to attack the day.
Feeling blessed, humbled, and beyond grateful for all your thoughts and prayers.
U Matter

#renewingathleteslives #nfl #shopkosar

[Manchester United @ManUtd]

An adored member of the Manchester United family.

We are heartbroken to announce the passing of our beloved Kath Phipps ❤️

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

Do you think the proposed NHS league table (ranking how well NHS trusts are performing from best to worst) is a good idea?

Please explain your answer in the comments.

Please repost to increase the sample size too.

[Inspirational Quotes @SeffSaid]

This

[HardingBuilding @HardingBuilding]

Well Anthony ,

[Stockport College @stock_college]

Well done to our Carpentry apprentices, Anthony and Nathan for taking part in the GMCG Skills competition last week.

Anthony came first this year, making this the second year that our apprentices have won the competition. Great work from all students and staff involved.

[NHS Million @NHSMillion]

Everything they are doing to the NHS they did to British Rail.

Underfunded it, exhausted the service, got the public angry, and then said privatisation is the solution.

We’re strongly against privatisation of the NHS - please RT if you are too.

[Jo Grady @DrJoGrady]

Nurses are under attack. The government have decided they will take them on and break them if needed

They are the same people who kept this nation going through the pandemic

They are the backbone of society

RT if you stand right behind them and will back them whatever it takes

[Go Construct @GoConstructUK]

Busting #Construction myths together 🤝

We're on a mission to change perceptions about the construction industry - there are so many untrue statements and here is just a few that we've busted...

What #ConstructionMyths have you heard?

[HardingBuilding @HardingBuilding]

#RBS. If you are looking for a new business bank #avoid #rds
It’s taken me two days to get through to someone and still not
managed to make a simple transfer . Apparently all working from home ? Poor service , will be looking to move banks after 50 years with #RBS

[My Stockport @My_Stockport]

Harry, from Stockport, is described as a white man with a medium build, who is around 6ft tall and has grey collar length hair - sometimes worn in a ponytail
https://t.co/fYgBDmUVEr

[Housing Today @housing_today]

“I am calling on ministers to provide the increased funding for genuinely affordable housing in London which is needed now more than ever" London mayor @SadiqKhan warns extra cash is needed as build costs rise by as much as 45% in some places https://t.co/0UmgURsnGs

[Nick Hayes 🇺🇦 @rugbynhs]

@GR_Scaffolding BBC News - Travis Perkins warns of price rises amid shortage of raw materials
https://t.co/GHdPNGQayJ

[Residential News @ResiNews]

Cost of building work on UK homes to rise as price of materials soars https://t.co/wWR5oZS00L

[Total Contractor @TotContractorUK]

93% of builders reported material price increases in the period Jan to Mar, with concerns over accessing #roof tiles, #glazing products, #timber and #insulation overshadowing the fastest growth in enquiries in ten years, according to @fmbuilders data: https://t.co/Z4iWVo1G1z

[FMB: Master Builders @fmbuilders]

ICYMI: Members can read our latest update on #construction product price increases & access member-only resources such as ✔️ template letter to share independent info with clients ✔️guidance on #contract ‘change clauses’ & ✔️ contract templates: https://t.co/0OoAHZtShJ