Name: Colin BELL

Name: Manchester Collegiate Education Trust

Date of Birth: 27 / 9 / 1956

Date Order Starts: 22 / 6 / 2026

Disqualification Length: 7 Years 0 Month(s)

CRO Number: 07744158

Last Known Address: 1 Hamilton Close,, , , , BURY,, BL8 1LA

Conduct: Mr Colin Bell (“Mr Bell”) as director of Manchester Collegiate Education Trust (“MCET”), from at least 19 April 2019 to 18 August 2023, failed to ensure that MCET complied with its obligations under the Pensions Act 2008 to pay over both employee pension contributions which had been deducted from staff wages, and the corresponding employer contributions to a pension scheme in relation to three employees. In that: • In February 2016 a pension scheme administrator (“the Scheme”) informed MCET that their application to enrol into the pension scheme had not been accepted. Payroll records for the period between February 2016 and 18 April 2019 are incomplete and bank statements for this same period are not available, but records for the period between 19 April 2019 and 18 August 2023 show that for three employees of MCET pension deductions intended for the Scheme had been taken, but MCET’s bank statements show these amounts were not paid over. • Additionally, between 19 April 2019 and 18 August 2023, calculations for the corresponding employer contributions to the Scheme had been made and recorded on the payroll, but for these three employees payments were not made to the Scheme or any other pension provider. • Due to the lack of available records it is not possible to determine whether deductions for these three employees, or whether other people employed by MCET in the period between February 2016 and April 2019 had deductions taken from their wages which were not paid over to a pension scheme, and/or employer contributions to their pensions not paid over to a pension scheme. • Between 19 April 2019 and 18 August 2023, Employee 1 had £17,956.12 in employee contributions deducted from his wages, and MCET’s payroll shows that £22,535.54 in employer contributions ought to have also been paid over. As a result of MCET not making payments to the Scheme, or enrolling him onto an alternate pension scheme, Employee 1 lost £40,491.66 of pension contributions. As he was not enrolled in a pension fund it is not possible to calculate what the fund growth would have been in order to determine the amount lost from Employee 1’s pension at his retirement date. • Between 20 September 2019 and 18 August 2023, Employee 2 had £9,077.98 in employee contributions deducted from his wages, and MCET’s payroll shows that £14,721.08 in employer contributions ought to have also been paid over. As a result of MCET not making payments to the Scheme, or enrolling him onto an alternate pension scheme, Employee 2 lost £23,799.06 of pension contributions. As he was not enrolled in a pension fund it is not possible to calculate what the fund growth would have been in order to determine the amount lost from Employee 2’s pension at his retirement date. • Between 20 September 2019 and 18 December 2020, Employee 3 had £3,105.40 in employee contributions deducted from his wages, and MCET’s payroll shows that £5,035.88 in employer contributions ought to have also been paid over. As a result of MCET not making payments to the Scheme, or enrolling him onto an alternate pension scheme, Employee 3 lost £8,141.28 of pension contributions. As he was not enrolled in a pension fund it is not possible to calculate what the fund growth would have been in order to determine the amount lost from Employee 3’s pension at his retirement date. • Correspondence shows that Mr Bell was aware that MCET was not accepted into the Scheme, and yet MCET continued to deduct pension contributions for these members of staff which, if MCET had been accepted, ought to have been paid over to the Scheme, or, alternatively, with knowledge that they weren’t accepted, ought to have been paid over to another pension fund. • Payroll records show that MCET had deducted a total of £30,139.50 from the wages of Employees 1, 2 and 3, and had recorded that employer contributions of £42,292.50 ought to have been paid into a pension fund on their behalf. None of these contributions were paid to a pension fund, and the money was not ringfenced from the general trading funds of MCET. • MCET ceased trading in August 2023 and entered into liquidation on 18 March 2024 without having paid at least £72,432 in pension contributions for employees 1, 2 and 3. • In its Statement of Affairs MCET estimated that £38,858 was owed to the Scheme, it appears that at least £27,142.54 of this amount relates to a fourth employee, but this employee left MCET prior to April 2019 and with the available records it is not possible to accurately verify the amounts deducted in relation to this employee, or whether the £38,858 figure encompasses deductions taken from further employees. • No compensatory payments were made to or on behalf of employees 1, 2 and 3. 

This information is correct as at 3 / 6 / 2026

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