The directors present the strategic report for the year ended 30 November 2025.
Whitehead Building Services provides a full range of mechanical, electrical, and public health services, including design, installation, commissioning, and maintenance. The business serves both the main contracting construction sector and the direct end-user market from strategically located offices along the M4/M5 corridor.
The company supports clients across the education, health, commercial, residential, transport, industry and technology, and distribution and logistics sectors.
During the year, the business restructured its management team to better serve clients, respond to increasing market opportunities, and support the UK’s transition from fossil fuels to renewable technologies and the wider drive to decarbonise buildings.
The business now operates through two clearly defined divisions, each with its own objectives and supporting plan:
Construction and Engineering: focused on supporting main contractors with new-build and refurbishment projects across the company’s core sectors.
Facilities and Maintenance: focused on long-term maintenance contracts and direct works for blue-chip organisations and local government departments.
Turnover for the year decreased from £58.7m in 2024 to £56.2m in 2024. Both business divisions delivered broadly in line with budget; however, turnover decreased by 4.2% due to a number of delayed project commencements within the Construction and Engineering division. Several new contracts were secured during the year, and the Directors are pleased to report a healthy order book. The business expects turnover to increase in 2026, with the potential to reach the highest level in its 48-year history.
Business performance has been supported by the company’s commitment to delivering an exceptional customer experience, carefully selecting projects, and applying its proven and accredited End 2 End business process, QMS ISO 9001:2015. This approach has helped repeat business exceed 70% of revenue.
The company continues to maintain mutually beneficial relationships by focusing on professionalism, expertise and teamwork. It aims to deliver excellence by empowering people, embracing technology, and creating a positive and lasting impact on the environment and local communities.
The Directors continue to monitor business performance against the company’s high-level objectives and remain focused on a five-year plan for sustained profitable growth. Key priorities include developing the workforce through apprenticeships and continuing professional development, improving customer satisfaction through the tailored quality management system, and maintaining safe operations through the “Work Safe – Home Safe” programme.
Whitehead operates in a strong economic region and is strategically positioned to provide specialist services to both the public and private sectors. During the period, the business increased revenue from its end-user work stream and widened its customer base through its Maintenance and Small Works provision.
The company is pleased to continue its involvement with the NHS Building for Wales 2 frameworks. The rail and transport sector remains a target area for growth, supported by continued investment and Whitehead’s accreditation to provide specialist services to the rail sector. The business also continues to work with the regional airports in Bristol and Cardiff as they undertake decarbonisation and expansion programmes.
The Board regards the key measures of operating effectiveness to be sales growth, margins and overheads as a proportion of activity. However, the performance of individual contracts is also regarded as a key indicator of performance. Each contract is assessed individually with a number of large contracts per year. The company is satisfied with the contract performance in the year with no real issues noted. The contracts largely ran to budget and on time which means that the company hit its targets and the customers were generally delighted.
The Directors assess the following Key Performance Indicators:
Turnover
Turnover for the year decreased by 4.28% to £56.2m (2024: £58.7m).
Profit before tax
Profit before tax for the year as a percentage of turnover increased to 2.8% from 2.36% in the prior year.
Other Key Performance Indicators
Repeat Business
The company assesses the value of repeat business which has been maintained at 70% of the total Turnover.
Average Staff Numbers
Average staff numbers for the year increased by 4.65% to 225 (2024: 215).
Post-Contract Defects
The value spent on post-contract defects has decreased by 3%.
Outstanding Retention Balances
The value of overdue Retention Balances has decreased by £11,145.
Principal Risks and Uncertainties
The company's activities expose it to a number of financial risks including price risk, credit risk, cash flow risk and liquidity risk. The use of financial instruments is monitored by the board of directors; the company does not use financial instruments for speculative purposes. The company's principal financial instruments comprise bank balances, trade creditors, trade debtors and loans to the company.
Cash flow risk
The company has no interest-bearing assets and few interest-bearing liabilities which minimises the uncertainty of cash flows.
Credit risk
The company's principal financial assets are bank balances and cash, trade, and other receivables. The company's credit risk is primarily attributable to its trade and other receivables. The company manages credit risk in respect of trade debtors by regularly monitoring credit limits and balances outstanding and the close monitoring of customer credit reports. The company has no significant concentration of credit risk, with exposure spread over a large number of counterparties and customers with a healthy balance of long-term and short-term contracts. The credit risk on liquid funds and financial instruments is limited because the counterparties are banks with high credit-ratings assigned by international credit-rating agencies.
Liquidity risk
The company manages the liquidity risk by monitoring working capital and ensuring there are sufficient funds to meet payments.
Supply Chain Risk
We have a unique relationship with our supply chain where we work together in Partnership to ensure that our needs can be met and managed. We work with our supply chain to provide effective solutions to the most challenging projects, and we have processes for the selection of suppliers in which we assess their suitability to be part of our chain.
Skills Shortages
Our company ethos is of employment rather than transient sub-contract or agency labour, which provides us with protection against skills shortages in an upturn in market conditions. Our apprentice training programme ensures that we continue to produce well-trained staff whilst providing opportunities for young people.
Brexit
The Directors are aware of the potential risks which Brexit presents and have worked closely with our supply-chain to ensure continuity of supply of goods following the UK’s departure from the EU. The Directors will seek to mitigate any other risks to the business, whilst maximising any opportunities that may arise.
Inflation
The Directors are aware of the risk of rising inflation to the UK economy. Where possible, any inflationary risks to the costs of our products and services are identified and managed collaboratively with our clients and supply chain.
Health and Safety
The health and safety of our employees, supply chain, customers and the public remain our number one priority. The business prides itself on its excellent record and upholds its commitment of “Work Safe – Home Safe.” It is accepted by every member of our team and supply chain that safety is also their personal responsibility. Our in-house qualified Health, Safety, Environmental, and Quality team oversees and undertakes audits to ensure that our ISO standards are adhered to.
All Whitehead employees are encouraged to assist the company in its aim to reduce our environmental impact.
We encourage our workers to respect the environment in which they work and to reduce waste, share transport and reduce our environmental impact wherever possible. As engineers we endeavour to incorporate green and energy efficient products in our design and in the materials that we use. The Business has achieved accreditation with ISO14001 during 2022. The business has produced a carbon reduction plan in line with the UK Government’s procurement policy note PPNO6/21.
CSR Policy and Charitable activities
The company has a coordinated and managed approach towards its social responsibilities. The business has supported a number of local charities through sponsored events including walks, cycling and rowing. Whitehead organises an annual golf day and has raised a substantial amount of money for various local charities. The company is also the lead sponsor and organiser of the Whitehead Tour de Gwent cycling event which raises funds in aid of local charity St. David’s Hospice. The company also encourages its employees to act as volunteers at charitable events. The business has embarked on an initiative to install defibrillators in the local communities in which we work. The business regularly collects supplies and equipment to donate to homeless charities as well other initiatives such as donating easter eggs to a local childrens’ hospital. The business contributed a total of £56,529 in CSR and charitable donations during the year.
Health & Wellbeing
The company encourages its employees to lead an active life and maintain good health, and also promotes a healthy work / life balance. The business continues to operate a Mental Health Policy. This includes Mental Health Awareness Training for all employees, Mental Health First Aiders and Mental Health Champions, all as part of our strategy to raise awareness and maintain the health and wellbeing of our employees.
The Directors remain confident in the Company's future prospects and believe that Whitehead Building Services is well positioned to benefit from sustained investment in infrastructure, public sector facilities, decarbonisation programmes and renewable technologies. Supported by a healthy order book, a diversified customer base and a growing Facilities and Maintenance division, the Company enters the new financial year with a strong pipeline of opportunities.
The Directors anticipate an increase in turnover during the coming year as recently secured contracts progress and delayed projects commence on site. The business will continue to focus on delivering sustainable profitable growth through careful project selection, operational excellence, customer retention and workforce development.
While recognising the continued challenges presented by economic uncertainty, inflationary pressures and labour market constraints, the Directors believe the Company's strong market reputation, accredited management systems and experienced leadership team provide a solid foundation for continued success. The Company's strategic focus on supporting clients in achieving their net-zero and building decarbonisation objectives is expected to create further opportunities for growth across both business divisions.
The Company recognises that its employees are fundamental to its continued success. Staff retention remains strong, supported by the Company's long-established reputation, diverse project portfolio and commitment to providing rewarding career opportunities. The Directors believe that attracting, developing and retaining skilled employees is essential to maintaining high levels of customer service and delivering the Company's strategic objectives.
The Company continues to invest in employee development through structured training programmes and Continuing Professional Development across all areas of the business. Particular emphasis is placed on developing future talent through apprenticeship schemes and vocational training. Whitehead Building Services has a long-standing apprenticeship programme that has consistently provided the business with skilled operatives who understand and embrace the Company's culture, values and working practices.
The Company is a proud member of The 5% Club and has achieved Platinum Accreditation in recognition of its commitment to apprenticeships, graduate programmes and employee development.
As part of its ongoing commitment to workforce development and addressing the skills shortage within the building services sector, the Company will open a new Training Academy in September 2026. The Academy will provide dedicated facilities to support apprentices, trainees and existing employees, strengthening the Company's ability to attract, develop and retain skilled individuals while contributing to the future skills pipeline of the industry.
The Company continually reviews its business systems and processes and remains committed to a culture of continuous improvement. An annual review of the Company's Quality Management System, certified to ISO 9001:2015, is undertaken to ensure its ongoing effectiveness and alignment with business objectives. Employees at all levels are encouraged to contribute to the continual improvement process, with a focus on enhancing customer experience, quality, health and safety performance, environmental responsibility, innovation and best practice.
Research & Development
The company has invested in Research & Development in recent years to tackle technical problems in an innovative way. The nature of the construction industry constantly provides new challenges and the business has invested in people and software to enable us to innovate and meet the challenges of each new job.
The Directors consider that the employees are the biggest asset of the business and aim to maintain high staff-retention by having regard to remuneration, health and safety, continuing professional development, work-life balance and the well-being of all employees.
Relationships with customers and suppliers is considered to be a central part of the company’s ethos. Regular engagement with customers and suppliers is essential to the continuing improvement of the business.
The company encourages its workers to respect the environment in which they work. The company also aims to have a positive impact on the communities in which we work by engaging in charitable activities throughout the year. The company has a long-standing reputation for providing life-long skills through our proven apprenticeship programme which provides employment opportunities for young people.
The desirability of the company maintaining a reputation for high standards of business conduct
The company has a duty to act responsibly and to demonstrate high levels of ethical and moral stewardship. The company’s employee handbook contains sections on anti-bribery policy, whistleblowing and anti tax-evasion.
The need to act fairly as between the different stakeholders of the company
The Directors aim to ensure that their decisions are in the best interests of all stakeholders of the business in line with the company’s policies and values.
On behalf of the board
The directors present their annual report and financial statements for the year ended 30 November 2025.
The results for the year are set out on page 12. A fair review of business is set out in the Strategic Report on page 1.
Ordinary dividends were paid amounting to £1,104,000. The directors do not recommend payment of a final dividend.
The directors who held office during the year and up to the date of signature of the financial statements were as follows:
The company has invested in Research & Development in recent years to tackle technical problems in an innovative way. The nature of the construction industry constantly provides new challenges and the business has invested in people and software to enable us to innovate and meet the challenges of each new job.
The future outlook is discussed in the Strategic Report on page 3.
UHY Hacker Young have expressed their willingness to continue in office as auditor and appropriate arrangements have been put in place for them to be deemed reappointed as auditor in the absence of an Annual General Meeting.
In line with the Companies (Directors’ Report) and Limited Liability Partnerships (Energy and Carbon Report) Regulations 2018 our energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions are set out below.
We have followed the 2019 HM Government Environmental Reporting Guidelines. We have also used the GHG Reporting Protocol – Corporate Standard and have used the 2020 UK Government’s Conversion Factors for Company Reporting.
We have chosen to report our gross emissions against £m of turnover.
As most of the carbon emissions is caused by our vehicle fleet, we have started to convert our fleet to electric cars and vans. This process is ongoing. The business has installed Electric Vehicle charging points at our Head Office to encourage employees to use electric vehicles.
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 of 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 judgements and accounting estimates that are reasonable and prudent;
state whether applicable UK Accounting Standards have been followed, subject to any material departures disclosed and explained in the financial statements; 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.
We have audited the financial statements of Whitehead Building Services Limited (the 'company') for the year ended 30 November 2025 which comprise the profit and loss account, the statement of comprehensive income, the balance sheet, the statement of changes in equity and notes to the financial statements, including significant accounting policies. The financial reporting framework that has been applied in their preparation is applicable law and United Kingdom Accounting Standards, including Financial Reporting Standard 102 The Financial Reporting Standard applicable in the UK and Republic of Ireland (United Kingdom Generally Accepted Accounting Practice).
Basis for 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
Opinions on other matters prescribed by the Companies Act 2006
In our opinion, based on the work undertaken in the course of our 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 have been prepared in accordance with applicable legal requirements.
The extent to which our procedures are capable of detecting irregularities, including fraud, is detailed below.
Our approach to identifying and assessing the risks of material misstatements in respect of irregularities, including fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations, was as follows:
the engagement partner ensured that the engagement team collectively had the appropriate competence, capabilities and skills to identify or recognise non-compliance with applicable laws and regulations;
we identified the laws and regulations applicable to the company through discussions with directors and other management, and from our commercial knowledge and experience of the relevant sector;
we focused on specific laws and regulations which we considered may have a direct material effect on the financial statements or the operations of the company, including the Companies Act 2006;
we assessed the extent of compliance with laws and regulations identified above through making enquiries of management and inspecting legal correspondence; and
identified laws and regulations were communicated within the audit team regularly and the team remained alert to instances of non-compliance throughout the audit.
We assessed the susceptibility of the company's financial statements to material misstatements, including obtaining an understanding of how fraud might occur, by:
making enquiries of management as to where they considered there was susceptibility to fraud, their knowledge of actual, suspected and alleged fraud; and
considering the internal controls in place to mitigate risks of fraud and non-compliance with laws and regulations.
To address risk of fraud through management bias and override of controls, we:
performed analytical procedures to identify any unusual or unexpected relationships;
tested journal entries to identify unusual transactions;
assessed whether judgements and assumptions made in determining the accounting estimates were indicative of potential bias; and
investigated the rationale behind significant or unusual transactions.
There are inherent limitations in our audit procedures described above. The more removed that laws and regulations are from the financial statements, the less likely it is that we would become aware of non-compliance. Auditing standards also limit the audit procedures required to identify non-compliance with laws and regulations to enquiry of the directors and other management and the inspection of regulatory and legal correspondence, if any.
Material misstatements that arise due to fraud can be harder to detect than those that arise from error as they may involve deliberate concealment or collusion.
A further description of our responsibilities is available on the Financial Reporting Council’s website at: https://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 auditor's 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.
The profit and loss account has been prepared on the basis that all operations are continuing operations.
Whitehead Building Services Limited is a private company limited by shares incorporated in England and Wales. The registered office is Lanyon House, Mission Court, Newport, Gwent, NP20 2DW.
The financial statements are prepared in sterling, which is the functional currency of the company. Monetary amounts in these financial statements are rounded to the nearest £.
This company is a qualifying entity for the purposes of FRS 102, being a member of a group where the parent of that group prepares publicly available consolidated financial statements, including this company, which are intended to give a true and fair view of the assets, liabilities, financial position and profit or loss of the group. The company has therefore taken advantage of exemptions from the following disclosure requirements:
Section 4 ‘Statement of Financial Position’ – Reconciliation of the opening and closing number of shares;
Section 7 ‘Statement of Cash Flows’ – Presentation of a statement of cash flow and related notes and disclosures;
Section 33 ‘Related Party Disclosures’ – Compensation for key management personnel.
The financial statements of the company are consolidated in the financial statements of Evol (Wales) Limited. These consolidated financial statements are available from its registered office, Sunnybank Church Road, St Brides Wentlooge, Newport, Gwent, NP10 8SQ.
The gain or loss arising on the disposal of an asset is determined as the difference between the sale proceeds and the carrying value of the asset, and is credited or charged to profit or loss.
In the application of the company’s accounting policies, the directors are required to make judgements, estimates and assumptions about the carrying amount of assets and liabilities that are not readily apparent from other sources. The estimates and associated assumptions are based on historical experience and other factors that are considered to be relevant. Actual results may differ from these estimates.
The estimates and underlying assumptions are reviewed on an ongoing basis. Revisions to accounting estimates are recognised in the period in which the estimate is revised where the revision affects only that period, or in the period of the revision and future periods where the revision affects both current and future periods.
The following judgements and areas of estimation uncertainty that the directors have made in the process of applying the company's accounting policies have the most significant effect on the amounts recognised in the financial statements.
As noted in 1.3 above, revenue from contracts is recognised by reference to the stage of completion, this inevitably involves the directors making estimates about the total anticipated costs of contracts and the future costs; these estimates can have a significant effect on revenue recognition and profit.
The estimates and assumptions which have a significant risk of causing a material adjustment to the carrying amount of assets and liabilities are as follows.
Management regularly reviews retention balances and makes provision for balances that it believes will not be recovered. The assessment of retention recovery requires management's best estimate based on knowledge of the underlying contracts and past history of recovery.
An analysis of the company's turnover is as follows:
All turnover relates to revenue from contracts.
The average monthly number of persons (including directors) employed by the company during the year was:
Their aggregate remuneration comprised:
The number of directors for whom retirement benefits are accruing under defined contribution schemes amounted to 2 (2024 - 2).
The actual (credit)/charge for the year can be reconciled to the expected charge for the year based on the profit or loss and the standard rate of tax as follows:
The adjustments in respect of prior year relates to the recognition of R&D tax credit for 2024.
Included within trade debtors are amounts relating to retentions that are due for payment after one year of £1,306,373 (2024: £1,067,613). These retentions are normal commercial arrangements for this industry.
Included within trade creditors are amounts related to retentions that are due for payment after one year of £944,693 (2024: £806,291). These retentions are normal commercial arrangements for this industry.
Deferred tax assets and liabilities are offset where the company has a legally enforceable right to do so. The following is the analysis of the deferred tax balances (after offset) for financial reporting purposes:
The deferred tax liability set out relates predominantly to accelerated capital allowances and this is expected to reverse over the useful economic lives of the related assets.
The company operates a defined contribution pension scheme for all qualifying employees. The assets of the scheme are held separately from those of the company in an independently administered fund.
On 23 October 2024, the company acquired 30 of its own ordinary B shares for £40,000.
The shares were immediately cancelled and an amount equivalent to the nominal value of the shares bought back and cancelled was transferred to the capital redemption reserve.
At the reporting end date the company had outstanding commitments for future minimum lease payments under non-cancellable operating leases, which fall due as follows:
The company has taken advantage of the exemption, under the terms of FRS 102, Section 33.1A, from disclosing related party transactions with wholly owned subsidiaries within the group.
At the year end the company was owed £3,203,350 (2024: £3,818,350) by its parent company. This amount is included within debtors due within one year.
During the year the company entered into the following transactions with related parties:
During the year the company paid rent of £20,940 (2024: £83,762) to Evol (Wales) Limited Small Self Administered Scheme, a pension scheme.
The above transactions are related as Mr I Cummings is a trustee of the Evol (Wales) Limited Small Self Administered Scheme and ultimately controls Whitehead Building Services Limited by virtue of his shareholding in the parent company; Evol (Wales) Limited.
During the year the company made sales of £26,554 (2024: £19,570) and purchases of £350 (2024: £699) to Tiny Rebel Limited, an associate of Evol (Wales) Limited. At the year end £12,356 (2024: £12,628) was owed by Tiny Rebel Limited. This amount is included within debtors amounts falling due within one year.