School-run operator ordered to pay £1.514m after director’s tax fraud conviction

# What happened Berkshire Education Travel Ltd, a company that provided home-to-school taxi services, was ordered at Reading Crown Court on 14 September 2026 to pay a confiscation order of £1,514,056.71. The company has been given three months to pay that sum.

# Who was convicted

# The tax offences and sums identified HM Revenue and Customs says the case concerned VAT that should have been declared and paid on contracts to run school transport for Bracknell Forest and Wokingham Borough councils. HMRC's earlier case detail identified:

• £697,809 in VAT received in connection with work for Bracknell Forest Borough Council.

Those figures add to about £777,319. The confiscation order now imposed — £1,514,056.71 — is substantially higher than that earlier VAT total. HMRC has not provided a public breakdown explaining how the higher figure was calculated, so the confiscation amount should not be assumed to represent unpaid VAT alone.

# Evidence the jury heard

# HMRC's stated position HMRC says it pursues financial recovery after securing convictions. Louise MacDonald, HMRC's Deputy Director for Economic Crime, said: "Our work doesn't stop at conviction – we always look to recover the proceeds of crime, money that should have been used to fund our public services." HMRC encouraged people with information about tax fraud to report it via GOV.UK.

# Timeline (key dates)

• November 2010 to November 2016: period in which the offences occurred.
• 24 November 2016: David Park arrested.
• 2 September 2022: Park and the company convicted by a jury.
• October 2022: Park sentenced to six years and disqualified for seven years.
• 14 September 2026: Reading Crown Court imposes £1,514,056.71 confiscation order on Berkshire Education Travel.

# What this means for the company and public funds

# Practical takeaways for operators and councils Operators should keep clear records and ensure VAT collected on public contracts is declared and paid. Councils and contracting authorities should check compliance and consider whether procurement oversight and payment controls are sufficient to detect irregularities earlier.