The Enforcement Conduct Board (ECB) has agreed a consensual order with Paul Whyte and Julia Whyte, formerly the partners of Whyte & Co, under its Disciplinary and Sanctions Rules.
The order follows findings that, in late 2025 and early 2026, Whyte & Co collected council tax debt payments on behalf of a local authority but did not pass those funds to the creditor.
This action would have resulted in the ECB referring the case to a disciplinary panel with the aim of removing Whyte & Co’s accreditation. However, Whyte & Co ceased trading and rescinded their ECB accreditation on 1 September 2026. The ECB has therefore focused on ensuring those involved are unable to cause further harm in the future.
As part of the consensual order, Paul Whyte and Julia Whyte have accepted that Whyte & Co breached the ECB’s Standards by:
- Failing to act in a way that upheld public trust and confidence in the enforcement process.
- Failing to carry out enforcement activity in an appropriate manner.
- Failing to promptly report the breach to the ECB.
In light of these breaches, Paul Whyte and Julia Whyte have agreed that, for a period of five years, they will not:
- Become a partner, director, or hold an equivalent senior role within an ECB-accredited enforcement firm; or
- Seek or hold ECB accreditation in respect of any enforcement firm in which they hold such a role.
The ECB is publishing this outcome in the public interest. The conduct in this case fell significantly short of the standards expected of ECB-accredited firms and the sanction reflects the seriousness of the breaches and the importance of maintaining trust in the handling of money collected from members of the public.
The order can be found here