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Company registration number: 02759104
Baroness Limited
Financial statements
31 December 2023
Baroness Limited
Contents
Directors and other information
Strategic report
Directors report
Independent auditor's report to the members
Statement of income and retained earnings
Statement of financial position
Notes to the financial statements
Baroness Limited
Directors and other information
Directors Bhagwant Singh Gurtata
Hardip Kaur Gurtata Appointed: 12 January 2023
Pradeep Singh Gurtata Appointed: 12 January 2023
Ravi Singh Gurtata Appointed: 12 January 2023
Secretary Hardip Kaur Gurtata
Company number 02759104
Registered office 30 Leinster Gardens
London
W2 3AN
Auditor Anderson Shaw
Chartered Certified Accountants
Statutory Auditors
Scottish Provident House
76 - 80 College Road
Harrow
Middlesex
HA1 1BQ
Baroness Limited
Strategic report
Year ended 31 December 2023
Business review
The company continues to be a holding company with group dividend income only.
Performance of its trading subsidiary is included in the group accounts of the parent company, Countess Holdings Limited.
This report was approved by the board of directors on 8 August 2024 and signed on behalf of the board by:
Bhagwant Singh Gurtata
Director
Baroness Limited
Directors report
Year ended 31 December 2023
The directors present their report and the financial statements of the company for the year ended 31 December 2023.
Directors
The directors who served the company during the year were as follows:
Bhagwant Singh Gurtata
Hardip Kaur Gurtata (Appointed 12 January 2023)
Pradeep Singh Gurtata (Appointed 12 January 2023)
Ravi Singh Gurtata (Appointed 12 January 2023)
Dividends
Particulars of dividends paid are detailed in note 6 to the financial statements.
Directors responsibilities statement
The directors are responsible for preparing the strategic report, directors report and the financial statements in accordance with applicable law and regulations.
Company law requires the directors to prepare financial statements for each financial year. Under that law the directors have elected to prepare the financial statements in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice (United Kingdom Accounting Standards and applicable law). Under company law the directors must not approve the financial statements unless they are satisfied that they give a true and fair view of the state of affairs of the company and the profit or loss of the company for that period.
In preparing these financial statements, the directors are required to:
- select suitable accounting policies and then apply them consistently;
- make judgments and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent; and
- prepare the financial statements on the going concern basis unless it is inappropriate to presume that the company will continue in business.
The directors are responsible for keeping adequate accounting records that are sufficient to show and explain the company's transactions and disclose with reasonable accuracy at any time the financial position of the company and enable them to ensure that the financial statements comply with the Companies Act 2006. They are also responsible for safeguarding the assets of the company and hence for taking reasonable steps for the prevention and detection of fraud and other irregularities.
Auditor
Each of the persons who is a director at the date of approval of this report confirms that:
- so far as they are aware, there is no relevant audit information of which the company's auditor is unaware; and - they have taken all steps that they ought to have taken as a director to make themselves aware of any relevant audit information and to establish that the company's auditor is aware of that information.
The auditor is deemed to have been re-appointed in accordance with section 487 of the Companies Act 2006.
This report was approved by the board of directors on 08 August 2024 and signed on behalf of the board by:
Bhagwant Singh Gurtata
Director
Baroness Limited
Independent auditor's report to the members of
Baroness Limited
Year ended 31 December 2023
Opinion
We have audited the financial statements of Baroness Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 31 December 2023 which comprise the statement of income and retained earnings, statement of financial position and notes to the financial statements, including a summary of significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including FRS 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice). In our opinion, the financial statements: - give a true and fair view of the state of the company's affairs as at 31 December 2023 and of its profit for the year then ended; - have been properly prepared in accordance with United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice; and - have been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Companies Act 2006.
Basis for opinion
We conducted our audit in accordance with International Standards on Auditing (UK) (ISAs (UK)) and applicable law. Our responsibilities under those standards are further described in the auditor’s responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements section of our report. We are independent of the company in accordance with the ethical requirements that are relevant to our audit of the financial statements in the UK, including the FRC’s Ethical Standard, and we have fulfilled our other ethical responsibilities in accordance with these requirements. We believe that the audit evidence we have obtained is sufficient and appropriate to provide a basis for our opinion.
Conclusions relating to going concern
In auditing the financial statements, we have concluded that the directors use of the going concern basis of accounting in the preparation of the financial statements is appropriate.
Based on the work we have performed, we have not identified any material uncertainties relating to events or conditions that, individually or collectively, may cast significant doubt on the company's ability to continue as a going concern for a period of at least twelve months from when the financial statements are authorised for issue.
Our responsibilities and the responsibilities of the directors with respect to going concern are described in the relevant sections of this report.
Other Information
The other information comprises the information included in the annual report, other than the financial statements and our auditor’s report thereon. The directors are responsible for the other information. Our opinion on the financial statements does not cover the other information and, except to the extent otherwise explicitly stated in our report, we do not express any form of assurance conclusion thereon. In connection with our audit of the financial statements, our responsibility is to read the other information and, in doing so, consider whether the other information is materially inconsistent with the financial statements or our knowledge obtained in the audit or otherwise appears to be materially misstated. If we identify such material inconsistencies or apparent material misstatements, we are required to determine whether there is a material misstatement in the financial statements or a material misstatement of the other information. If, based on the work we have performed, we conclude that there is a material misstatement of this other information, we are required to report that fact. We have nothing to report in this regard.
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of the audit:
- the information given in the strategic report and the directors' report for the financial year for which the financial statements are prepared is consistent with the financial statements; and
- the strategic report and the directors' report has been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
Matters on which we are required to report by exception
In the light of the knowledge and understanding of the company and its environment obtained in the course of the audit, we have not identified material misstatements in the strategic report or the directors' report. We have nothing to report in respect of the following matters where the Companies Act 2006 requires us to report to you if, in our opinion: - adequate accounting records have not been kept, or returns adequate for our audit have not been received from branches not visited by us; or - the financial statements are not in agreement with the accounting records and the returns; or - certain disclosures of directors' remuneration specified by law are not made; or - we have not received all the information and explanations we require for our audit.
Responsibilities of directors
As explained more fully in the directors' responsibilities statement, the directors are responsible for the preparation of the financial statements and for being satisfied that they give a true and fair view, and for such internal control as the directors determine is necessary to enable the preparation of financial statements that are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error. In preparing the financial statements, the directors are responsible for assessing the company’s ability to continue as a going concern, disclosing, as applicable, matters related to going concern and using the going concern basis of accounting unless the directors either intend to liquidate the company or to cease operations, or have no realistic alternative but to do so.
Auditor's responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements
Our objectives are to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the financial statements as a whole are free from material misstatement, whether due to fraud or error, and to issue an auditor’s report that includes our opinion. Reasonable assurance is a high level of assurance, but is not a guarantee that an audit conducted in accordance with ISAs (UK) will always detect a material misstatement when it exists. Misstatements can arise from fraud or error and are considered material if, individually or in the aggregate, they could reasonably be expected to influence the economic decisions of users taken on the basis of these financial statements. Irregularities, including fraud, are instances of non-compliance with laws and regulations. We design procedures in line with our responsibilities, outlined above, to detect material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud. The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud is detailed below: As part of our planning process: - We obtained an understanding of the legal and regulatory frameworks applicable to the company. We determined that the following were most relevant: FRS 102, Companies Act 2006, and UK Tax laws and regulations - Using our knowledge of the company, together with the discussions held with the company at the planning stage, we formed a conclusion on the risk of misstatement due to irregularities including fraud and tailored our procedures according to this risk assessment. The key procedures we undertook to detect irregularities including fraud during the course of the audit included: - Identifying and testing journal entries and the overall accounting records, in particular those that were significant and unusual. - Reviewing the financial statement disclosures and determining whether accounting policies have been appropriately applied. - Reviewing documentation including the company board minutes, for discussions of irregularities including fraud. - Reviewing the audit file, accounts and audit report of the subsidiaries and consider the impact on the company audit and accounts disclosure. Owing to the inherent limitations of an audit, there is an unavoidable risk that we may not have detected some material misstatements in the financial statements even though we have properly planned and performed our audit in accordance with auditing standards. The primary responsibility for the prevention and detection of irregularities and fraud rests with the director. A further description of our responsibilities for the audit of the financial statements is located on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at www.frc.org.uk/auditorsresponsibilities. This description forms part of our auditor’s report.
Use of our report
This report is made solely to the company's members, as a body, in accordance with Chapter 3 of Part 16 of the Companies Act 2006. Our audit work has been undertaken so that we might state to the company's members those matters we are required to state to them in an auditors report and for no other purpose. To the fullest extent permitted by law, we do not accept or assume responsibility to anyone other than the company and the company's members as a body, for our audit work, for this report, or for the opinions we have formed.
Bharatkumar L Shah (Senior Statutory Auditor)
For and on behalf of
Anderson Shaw
Chartered Certified Accountants and Statutory Auditors
Scottish Provident House
76 - 80 College Road
Harrow
Middlesex
HA1 1BQ
08 August 2024
Baroness Limited
Statement of income and retained earnings
Year ended 31 December 2023
2023 2022
Note £ £
Turnover 4 3,000,000 -
_______ _______
Profit before taxation 3,000,000 -
Tax on profit - -
_______ _______
Profit for the financial year and total comprehensive income 3,000,000 -
_______ _______
Dividends declared and paid during the year 6 ( 3,000,000) -
Retained earnings at the start of the year - -
_______ _______
Retained earnings at the end of the year - -
_______ _______
All the activities of the company are from continuing operations.
Baroness Limited
Statement of financial position
31 December 2023
2023 2022
Note £ £ £ £
Fixed assets
Investments 7 200 200
_______ _______
200 200
Current assets
Debtors 8 375,205 1,201,059
_______ _______
375,205 1,201,059
Creditors: amounts falling due
within one year 9 ( 375,305) ( 1,201,159)
_______ _______
Net current liabilities ( 100) ( 100)
_______ _______
Total assets less current liabilities 100 100
_______ _______
Net assets 100 100
_______ _______
Capital and reserves
Called up share capital 10 100 100
_______ _______
Shareholders funds 100 100
_______ _______
These financial statements were approved by the board of directors and authorised for issue on 08 August 2024 , and are signed on behalf of the board by:
Bhagwant Singh Gurtata
Director
Company registration number: 02759104
Baroness Limited
Notes to the financial statements
Year ended 31 December 2023
1. General information
Baroness Limited is a company limited by shares, incorporated in England and Wales. Its registered office is 30 Leinster Gardens, London, W2 3AN. The company continues to be a holding company with group dividend income only.
2. Statement of compliance
These financial statements have been prepared in compliance with FRS 102, 'The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland', and the Companies Act 2006.
3. Accounting policies
Basis of preparation
The financial statements have been prepared on the historical cost basis . The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the entity.
Going concern
The Directors have carefully considered the impact of the macroeconomic uncertainties, including the conflicts in Ukraine and Israel-Hamas on the Company's and the Group's financial position, liquidity and future performance.The Group's lender bank has continued to issue a quarterly rolling waiver of any breach of loan financial covenants. The current bank loan facilities ended in February 2024 and the lender bank has renewed the Loan facilities with a reduced ratio on the interest cover financial covenant.The Directors, at the time of signing the financial statements, have a reasonable expectation that the Company and the Group Companies have adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. In reaching this conclusion the Directors have considered the financial position of the Company and the Group Companies with a particular focus on:- cash and the overall liquidity;- the continued financial support of the lender bank including, if required, continuation of the loan financial covenants waiver;- rolling trading forecasts and cashflow projections for 12 months from the signing date of the financial statements.
Disclosure exemptions
The company satisfies the criteria of being a qualifying entity as defined in FRS 102. Its financial statements are consolidated into the financial statements of Countess Holdings Limited which can be obtained from the Companies House. As such, advantage has been taken of the following disclosure exemptions available under paragraph 1.12 of FRS102:- No cash flow statement has been presented for the company .
Consolidation
The company has taken advantage of the exemption from preparing consolidated financial statements contained in Section 400 of the Companies Act 2006 on the basis that it is a subsidiary undertaking and its immediate parent undertaking is established under the law of any part of the United Kingdom.
Income
Income represents dividend received from fixed asset investments.
Taxation
The taxation expense represents the aggregate amount of current and deferred tax recognised in the reporting period. Tax is recognised in the statement of comprehensive income, except to the extent that it relates to items recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in capital and reserves. In this case, tax is recognised in other comprehensive income or directly in capital and reserves, respectively. Current tax is recognised on taxable profit for the current and past periods. Current tax is measured at the amounts of tax expected to pay or recover using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted at the reporting date.
Deferred tax is recognised in respect of all timing differences at the reporting date. Unrelieved tax losses and other deferred tax assets are recognised to the extent that it is probable that they will be recovered against the reversal of deferred tax liabilities or other future taxable profits. Deferred tax is measured using the tax rates and laws that have been enacted or substantively enacted by the reporting date that are expected to apply to the reversal of the timing difference.
Fixed asset investments
Fixed asset investments are initially recorded at cost, and subsequently stated at cost less any accumulated impairment losses.
Impairment
A review for indicators of impairment is carried out at each reporting date, with the recoverable amount being estimated where such indicators exist. Where the carrying value exceeds the recoverable amount, the asset is impaired accordingly. Prior impairments are also reviewed for possible reversal at each reporting date. When it is not possible to estimate the recoverable amount of an individual asset, an estimate is made of the recoverable amount of the cash-generating unit to which the asset belongs. The cash-generating unit is the smallest identifiable group of assets that includes the asset and generates cash inflows that are largely independent of the cash inflows from other assets or groups of assets .
4. Turnover
The income of the company is derived from investments in a company registered in England and Wales .
5. Staff costs
There were no employees during the year apart from the directors.
6. Dividends
Equity dividends
2023 2022
£ £
Dividends paid during the year 3,000,000 -
_______ _______
7. Investments
Shares in group undertakings Total
£ £
Cost
At 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 200 200
_______ _______
Impairment
At 1 January 2023 and 31 December 2023 - -
_______ _______
Carrying amount
At 31 December 2023 200 200
_______ _______
At 31 December 2022 200 200
_______ _______
Investments in group undertakings
Registered office Class of share Percentage of shares held
Subsidiary undertakings
Kingsridge Limited 30 Leinster Gardens London W2 3AN, UK. Ordinary 100
Starcrown Hotels Group Limited as above Ordinary 100
8. Debtors
2023 2022
£ £
Amounts owed by group undertakings 375,205 1,201,059
_______ _______
Amounts owed by group undertakings are interest free and repayable on demand .
9. Creditors: amounts falling due within one year
2023 2022
£ £
Amounts owed to group undertakings 375,205 1,201,059
Other creditors 100 100
_______ _______
375,305 1,201,159
_______ _______
Amounts owed to group undertakings are interest free and repayable on demand.
10. Called up share capital
Issued, called up and fully paid
2023 2022
No £ No £
Ordinary shares of £ 1.00 each 100 100 100 100
_______ _______ _______ _______
11. Guarantees
The company has entered into an unlimited inter-company composite guarantee by and between the company; Countess Holdings Limited, Kingsridge Limited and Starcrown Hotels Group Limited in support of the bank finance facilities for Countess Holdings Limited and Kingsridge Limited. The composite guarantee is supported by a fixed and floating charge over the assets of the company in favour of the bankers .
12. Related party transactions
During the year dividend in the sum of £300,000 was paid to one of the directors , Bhagwant Singh Gurtata , in respect of ordinary shares held.
13. Controlling party
Countess Holdings Limited , a company incorporated in England & Wales, is the company's ultimate parent company.