The Insolvency Service promotes its Director information hub as a safe gateway for support. On its ‘Help and guidance resources’ page it labels The Directors Helpline as “Free, impartial guidance for businesses,” with no conflict warning beside the listing. For directors in distress, that framing matters.
The Directors Helpline’s own site names Jonathan Cooper as Founder and Director. Companies House records show that the same individual-Jonathan Andrew Cooper-has been an active director of JT Maxwell Limited since 4 April 2023, with the firm registered at 1 Sackville Street, Lisburn. These are not allegations; they are public filings and the service’s own marketing.
JT Maxwell’s most recent confirmation statement, filed on 8 September 2025, goes further: it lists “Shareholding 3: JONATHAN COOPER” holding 424 ordinary shares. That is a direct economic interest in the practice.
The helpline markets itself as “free, impartial and confidential,” stresses it is “not the insolvency practitioner,” and says it works with a “trusted panel of licensed firms.” In plain terms, callers are being channelled into a network that includes insolvency practices-while its founder sits on the board and cap table of one of them.
JT Maxwell is not a dormant nameplate. It publicly describes itself as a firm of licensed insolvency practitioners regulated by the Insolvency Practitioners Association. Gazette records show Andrew Ryder (IP No. 17552) appointed administrator of Dowsing & Reynolds on 19 June 2024 and later liquidator on 5 June 2025. This is an active appointment-taking practice.
Against that backdrop, the GOV.UK page still presents The Directors Helpline as “free, impartial guidance.” The same page warns, in general terms, that private sector support can be paid-for and urges directors to know what they are paying for-yet it does not flag this specific ownership link or explain any referral economics alongside the listing.
Proximity to government comms is clear. When the hub launched in July 2023, Credit Connect reported on the project and quoted Jonathan Cooper welcoming the initiative and highlighting The Directors Helpline’s involvement. That closeness increases the need for prominent disclosures so directors can judge advice at face value.
What should change is straightforward. First, accurate labelling on GOV.UK: where a provider is connected to an insolvency practice, say so in bold terms and link to a plain-English conflict note. Second, require dated declarations of ownership, directorships and any referral or fee arrangements. The insolvency Code of Ethics already bans paying for the introduction of an insolvency appointment; the FCA has separately outlawed referral fees for ‘debt packagers’ in the consumer space. The standards exist-apply them.
Third, publish outcomes data. If private providers sit on a government signpost, the Insolvency Service should release simple metrics by provider: proportions guided to time-to-pay, informal turnaround, CVA, administration, CVL and dissolution. Inside Corporate Insolvency is building a case-level dataset using Gazette appointments and public filings to test these flows. If the numbers show a tilt towards fee‑earning liquidations after ‘free’ calls, we will report it. IPs who are confident in their neutrality should welcome sunlight.
Food for thought; a government listing is conferring a sheen of neutrality that does not match the facts. The helpline being billed as “free, impartial” is founded by a serving director and shareholder of a licensed insolvency practice. The Insolvency Service should fix the label, require hard disclosures and let directors make informed choices. Who’s really ‘In Your Corner’?