Lawson Fox Debt Solutions Ltd: FCA regulated?

Authorised by the FCA

This firm is on the FCA register and authorised to carry out regulated activities.

Authorised for 10 years
Complaints covered by the Ombudsman
No FCA actions
Active company since 2010
Accounts filed up to 31 July 2025

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

Website

lawsonfox.co.uk (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

01204 804000
Address

Lawson Fox Ltd, Falcon Mill, Handel Street, Bolton, BL1 8BL, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks

When lawsonfox.co.uk first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 01204 804000 is
Who else gives the postcode BL1 8BL

Other names (17)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

Direct Debt Trading name: A name it trades under now.
Lawson Fox Trading name: A name it trades under now.
The Debt Advice Team Trading name: A name it trades under now.
1stopdebtsolutions Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
Assist My Finances Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
Giraffe Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
Giraffe Money Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Advice Online Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Advice People Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA-Check Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Now Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Online Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA People Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Specialists UK Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
IVA Team Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
The IVA Hub Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.
UK Debt Team Former trading name: A name it used to trade under.

FCA permissions and consumer protection

Lend or arrange credit No FSCS cover
Consumer credit is not covered by the FSCS, so there is no compensation scheme if the firm fails.
Complaints Ombudsman, free
You can refer a complaint about this firm to the Financial Ombudsman Service for free, whichever activity it relates to.

Show FCA detail (2 permissions)

Debt Adjusting
Debt-counselling

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Companies House record

The company behind the firm: its status, age, registered office and directors.

Company number: 07319288 (opens Companies House in a new tab)
Company status: Active
Company type: Private limited company
Incorporated: 20 July 2010 (16 years old)
Registered office: Falcon Mill, Handel Street, Bolton, BL1 8BL, England
Nature of business: Financial intermediation not elsewhere classified (SIC 64999)
Accounting and auditing activities (SIC 69201)

Directors and company secretaries

Name	Role	Born	Appointed	Other companies
Gerard Nicholas Ratcliffe	Director	Dec 1965	20 Jul 2010	31 other companies
Adam Kyle Nathan Taylor	Director	Nov 1973	11 Jan 2012	25 other companies
Kirk Ian Calvert	Director	Oct 1982	14 Apr 2021	11 other companies

Other companies run by these 3 directors

A firm is run by people, and their other companies are their track record: what they built, what closed, and anything that failed. It is the check most people never think to make.

other companies: 51
closed down: 33
went insolvent: 1

In the full report: all 51 companies, named

What each company does, and whether it is still trading
Which of these 3 directors sit on each board, and since when
The one that went into liquidation or administration
The 2 on the FCA register
The 12 companies these 3 directors run together

Filed accounts and finances

Year to 31 July 2025Micro-entity accountsNot audited

Net assets

£275k

+22% from £226k

Employees (average)

2

−75% from 8

Owed within a year

£93.1k

+1.7% from £91.6k

Assets and liabilities

In the full report: all 7 years of accounts

Every year from 2019 to 2025
The chart, over every year
Every filed figure, year by year

About these figures

Turnover: Money taken from sales in the year, before any costs.
Profit before tax: What was left after the year’s costs, before corporation tax. A minus figure is a loss.
Net assets, or total equity: Everything the company owns minus everything it owes. A minus figure means it owes more than it owns.
Total assets and total liabilities: Everything the company owns, and everything it owes, on the last day of the year. The gap between them is its net assets.
Cash at bank: Money in the company’s accounts on the last day of the year.
Owed within a year, owed after a year: Debts and bills due in the next twelve months, and those due later.

There is no turnover or profit: small companies do not have to publish them.

Accounts filed at Companies House for company 07319288. Every figure is as filed, apart from total assets and total liabilities, which are added up from filed figures. Nothing is estimated.

Key dates in its history

Lawson Fox Debt Solutions’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

Key events (4) All events (39)

2016

1 September 2016

Regulated by the FCA from this date
Became authorised by the FCA

FCA register

6 April 2016

Gerard Nicholas Ratcliffe took control (75–100% of shares)

Companies House

2010

20 July 2010

Incorporated at Companies House

Companies House

In the full report: all 39 events

All 39 events in its history (4 shown here)
Every director appointment and resignation: 3

Firms connected to Lawson Fox Debt Solutions

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Lawson Fox Debt Solutions. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

past links: 2

In the full report: all 0 connected firms, named

2 past links through former directors

Firms like Lawson Fox Debt Solutions

Other firms of the same type (debt advice or management), nearest first.

In Bolton

Citizens Advice Bury and Bolton LimitedBoltonAuthorised

Elsewhere in the UK

King's College LondonLondonAuthorised University of YorkYorkAuthorised University of LiverpoolLiverpoolAuthorised Loughborough University Student Advice & Support ServiceLoughboroughAuthorised University of the Arts LondonLondonAuthorised

Firms are listed by type and location, best known first. Being listed is not a recommendation: check any firm before you deal with it.

Get the full report on Lawson Fox Debt Solutions

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

51 other companies its directors have run, named
3 background checks on its contact details
7 years of accounts, charted
All 39 events in its history

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Lawson Fox Debt Solutions Ltd FCA authorised?

Yes, Lawson Fox Debt Solutions Ltd (FRN 660857) is authorised by the FCA to carry out regulated activities. It has held its current authorisation since September 2016 and works as a debt advice or management. The FCA has placed no limits on its permissions.

What is Lawson Fox Debt Solutions’ phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 01204 804000 and the website lawsonfox.co.uk for Lawson Fox Debt Solutions. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is Lawson Fox Debt Solutions a scam or clone?

Lawson Fox Debt Solutions is a genuine FCA-listed firm, and the FCA has published no warnings about fake versions of it. Scammers do copy real firms, though, so check that any contact details you were given match the ones on the register.

Is my money safe with Lawson Fox Debt Solutions?

Its FCA permissions do not allow it to hold or control client money. Protection depends on which product you hold and how Lawson Fox Debt Solutions handles your money, so check the specific product before you commit. You can also refer complaints about Lawson Fox Debt Solutions to the Financial Ombudsman Service, free of charge.

Who owns Lawson Fox Debt Solutions?

Companies House lists one person with significant control of Lawson Fox Debt Solutions: Mr Gerard Nicholas Ratcliffe (75–100% of shares).

Who runs Lawson Fox Debt Solutions?

Companies House lists 3 directors of Lawson Fox Debt Solutions: Gerard Nicholas Ratcliffe, Adam Kyle Nathan Taylor and Kirk Ian Calvert.

How long has Lawson Fox Debt Solutions been in business?

The company was formed on 20 July 2010, and has held its current FCA authorisation since September 2016.

What do Lawson Fox Debt Solutions’ latest accounts show?

Its latest accounts, to 31 July 2025, show net assets of £275k (+22% from £226k).

Does Lawson Fox Debt Solutions use any other names?

It trades as Direct Debt, Lawson Fox and The Debt Advice Team. It has previously used 14 other names, including 1stopdebtsolutions, Assist My Finances and Giraffe.