Ex-Baldwins chief loses jail appeal Ian Taylor


Former Baldwins Travel director Jack Mason, chief executive of the Inc & Co Group which acquired Baldwins in 2021, lost an appeal against a 22-month jail sentence last week. Mason was found guilty of


contempt of court last July for breaching three freezing orders obtained by Barclays Bank. He was sentenced in October but remains in Spain, having failed to appear at his sentencing hearing or at the appeal. Fellow defendant Scott Dylan,


whom the High Court found to be a “person of significant control” at Baldwins’ parent company, failed in an appeal against the length of


his sentence for contempt – also 22 months – in January and remains in prison. A third defendant, David


Antrobus, chief technology officer and director at Baldwins’ owner, also received a 22-month sentence for contempt in his absence. The three were found to have


breached the orders by moving two UK companies and their assets – including Baldwins Travel – first to the British Virgin Islands and then to the US state of Delaware. Barclays obtained the orders after launching proceedings to recover £13.7 million in “unauthorised borrowings” in 2021. Inc & Co Group paid £2.7 million to acquire Baldwins in September 2021, securing the money


Agencies strive to lift income as costs set to rise ‘by 10%’


Juliet Dennis


Travel agents are working to mitigate rising costs from next month amid a warning 2025 could be “tougher than any year since Covid”. Blue Bay Travel chief executive


Alistair Rowland suggested agents needed new revenue streams to grow sales by 10% – the amount costs are expected to rise this year as a result of the combined impact of changes to national insurance contributions, the national living wage and business rates. From April, employers’ NICs will


rise by 1.2 percentage points to 15% and the threshold at which firms pay NICs will fall from £9,100 to £5,000,


4 20 MARCH 2025


while there will be a 6.7% increase in the national living wage. Business rates relief reduces from 75% to 40%. Rowland, also Abta chairman, said: “I think 2025 is going to be tougher than any year since Covid. Most businesses will need to do something different because it’s unlikely they’ll grow their profits by 10% naturally.” Agents said they have taken


action. Althams Travel plans to halve both the number of apprentices recruited, usually 15 annually, and the planned annual salary rise, but said refurbishments would continue. Managing director Sandra McAllister said: “Costs are escalating at a rate I haven’t experienced before.”


[The appeal]


was an illegitimate attempt to open up findings of fact


against the company’s properties. Lord Justice Lewison in the


Appeal Court noted the judge who sentenced Mason “did not find him a credible witness” and ruled there was “no fault in the way the judge approached his task”. Fellow appeal judge Lady Justice


King argued it was “particularly repugnant” for a contemnor (someone found in contempt of court) not to appear in person.


The third Appeal Court judge, Lord


Justice Coulson, described Mason as “an evasive and untruthful witness”, and described some of the grounds of Mason’s appeal as “an illegitimate attempt to open up findings of fact”. Abta terminated Baldwins Travel’s


membership for “failing to provide financial information” last month only to reinstate the company pending an appeal after Baldwins challenged the grounds for the termination. Baldwins has already appealed


once, last autumn, against termination of its Abta membership. That decision was revoked after the company provided undertakings. It remains an Abta member, with


a bond providing pipeline protection of payments, pending the appeal.


Sandra McAllister


The Travel Network Group


estimated the extra salary costs for just one employee in the 2025-26 financial year would require an agency to sell seven more “average-priced” holidays. Membership director Stephanie


Slark said members were reviewing overheads and streamlining operations including “renegotiating energy and water contracts or moving to a paperless environment”. The Advantage Travel Partnership


head of business development David Moon said increasing ancillary sales and foreign exchange could boost revenues but said members remained optimistic, adding: “We know of


Alistair Rowland


Jennifer Lynch


members investing in technology to increase efficiencies and productivity.” Technology provider Travelgenix


said 57 new agents had become clients since last October’s Budget. One of them, ski specialist Get Me To The Alps, said it had to “leverage technology to offset growing costs”. ArrangeMy Escape general


manager Jennifer Lynch said the agency planned travel fairs but not sponsorship deals or recruitment. “We’d love more staff but you have to make do,” she said. Bailey’s Travel owner Chris Bailey


stressed: “It will have an effect on agents but doesn’t mean we’ll all go belly up.”


travelweekly.co.uk


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