“Well i feel for everyone involved who has lost money in this saga... But what happens to all the unfinished works IE roads, pavements and car parks on unfinshed developments such as claytons fold??? Some people have paid lots of money for properties on brand new developments hoping for a brand new spanking finshed product and the drains are still sticking 3 inchs out the ground, pavement slabs are loose and breaking cause there not fixed!.. I am one of these people and would like to know what will happen???”

“If these directors did anything dishonest then I am sure it will come out at some point. If; as is the case with most directors they simply hit the wall, then they deserve a break. Nobody ever talks about the administrator, in this case Ernst & Young. The fees that these guys will be taking would no doubt shock you all. Good luck to all who have been affected by this failure.”

“I hear what people say about the housing slump and I don't doubt that the directors are decent people, however, there is a suggestion that they have been spending the money they should have been using to pay staff and suppliers to fund a lavish lifestyle of houses valued in millions, new cars and all sorts of other things. It could be that these guys have been trading insolvently for some time and extracting the money - who knows? These things happen sometimes but we don't know that that's the case here.. I would suggest that if anyone has any evidence to suggest that they have been using the business to front the doing up of their homes or other inappropriate things that they contact the police or the administrator. If you are a contractor that has been asked to do work on either of their houses and then told to bill the company I am sure there are people out the who would be interested in talking to you. There may be some truth in some of thses allegations but let's not speculate about their behaviour, good or bad on here. Find out the facts and take action. Otherwise why not draw a line under the matter as nothing further can be achieved by adding comments on this site? Or can it? Perhaps the Hull Daily Mail should mount an investigation into the allegations?”

“I like thousands of other people in the construction industry have suffered because of the slump in the housing market in the Uk so felt compelled to write to you expressing my disgust at some of the comments made about the Directors of Westbridge Homes. I was a small subcontractor who is owed money by larger house building companies and believe me getting paid was getting harder by the day so I decided to get off my backside and do something about it and look for work elsewhere! Stop whinging at people who are also suffering because of the UK economy, These people have worked extremely hard to build up their business and have been victims of a situation beyond their control. I have personal knowledege of Mr Vessey-Bateson and Mr Lee and I know as fact (not hearsay) that they have very heavy hearts at this time and had no option left to them but to take the decisions that they have taken. We as subcontractors that have worked for such companies have all made our profits along the way and we should have only empathy for these men. We should not be 'kicking' them when they are already down. After all who is to say who will be next in a long line of companies that could have their doors closed too. I also know as fact that these men are good, honest people who put the interests of their employees and subcontractors first. So wake up and smell the coffee, this has not been personal against any individual, so stop making it personal against them! The very best of luck to all those who are trying to make a living in the UK in what are terrible times for ALL concerned.”

“Of course people are in business to make a profit otherwise there is no point , it doesn't mean to say you are ripping people off. Also if the Westbridge directors have carried out fraudulent acts I would hope the police will investigate as it is a crime. If not it is only fair to let the two directors get on with sorting their lives out.”

“All I'd like to say it that in my opinion people shouldn't imply the businesses owed money were "ripping off" Westbridge because everyone make a profit off everyone to make a living and its not always as big as people with little flexibility in their views realise. Even a chocolate bar is marked up rediculously for lord's sake and no one ever spouts off about that so why everyone thinks they have everything weighed up here Ive no idea.”

“Give these guys a break they worked hard to get the success they have had and were prepared to take the risk unlike the rest of us who just sit in judgement. They must be going through hell now after all they have lost everything they worked hard to achieve. As we are all aware the country is in a mess and this is happening nationally to many businesses. And I am sure these personal comments will not be helping. Good luck guys I am sure you will bounce back.”

“Bob, Preston. Ha ha ha, nice one. I'm sure the two directors cncerned have time to put their thoughts on here.
Good luck with all the slating guys, at least there are some people on here that can see situations as they are. Shame there are not more. As first said, good luck westbridge.”

“What have these people who are now owed money done with the massive profits that they would have made out of this company? I'm sure that if they had been asked about their opinion of pete and steve when the sun was shining it wouldn't have been this pathetic backbiting. Everyone is responsible for their own financial situation and if these companies were so naive as to not see the market changing and come up with their own contingencies for disaster then i think some of the fault is also on their heads. Greed has effected everyone in this country and it's time we started looking closer to home before we judge others.”

“I am aware of the company in question. I have in the past grown businesses
and suffered from one of my businesses going into receivership through no fault of my own.
I have also suffered considerable personal loss when companies that I have dealt with have gone into receivership. Hopefully that gives a balanced view of these issues.

Let me start by saying that I feel sorry for those who are owed money because of the receivership, I understand how you feel. I must however say that from what I know and have heard Westbridge Homes was a well run company who were highly regarded for the quality of the houses that they built, and by those that work for them either directly or as subcontractors/suppliers.

Some of the points I have read on these site are personal criticism of the directors of the company
and there alleged lifestyle which are ridiculous and not relevant. In some cases these are slanderous and appear based on hearsay
which is unhelpful to say the least.It appears that those making personal attacks
have a vendetta against the directors concerned. In so doing those people demonstrate an incredible naivety about the current plight
of the house building industry, the funding of the industry, and also the state of our banking system and economy as a whole.

Unfortunately in these exceptionally challenging times even good companies fall by the wayside ( Mc Clean Homes a large and successful house builder went into receivership as well recently) .Often companies try their very best to trade out of difficult circumstances and that may lead them to do everything possible to keep the business going. In some cases in my experience and that may include delaying payment to subcontractors or suppliers whilst they try to source new capital to strengthen the company¿s financial position, or chase large debts owed to them. In all cases this is for the benefit of everyone concerned.

Westbridge are not the first decent house builder to go into receivership and they certainly won't be the last. If you have a problem with this get hold of your local MP and put pressure on him/her to provide more support to the industry rather than making pointless ill-informed personal attacks on the directors of the companies affected.”