Closed down Northampton nightclub still owes council thousands after breaching strict health restrictions

A closed down nightclub in Northampton still owes the council £6,000 in fines after it was caught breaching Covid restrictions.

Illuminati's nightclub, in Bridge Street, permanently closed down at the end of 2022 after opening in February 2020.

The VIP-themed club was owned by businessman James Davey at the time it closed, according to Companies House.

Illuminated People Limited, the company which owned the nightclub, went into voluntary liquidation in July 2022, according to Companies House.

When the company initially ceased operations, it had debts of £21,000 to trade creditors, £34,000 to employees, £45,000 to banks/institutions, and £2,000 in accountancy fees, totalling just over £107,000. Additionally, the firm owed £45,000 to Metro Bank, £6,000 to West Northants Council (WNC), £4,000 to AU Vodka Limited, £1,500 to HMRC, £8,000 to PPL PRS Ltd, and more, according to Companies House.

This newspaper asked WNC if it ever got its money from Illuminati’s. Councillor Malcolm Longley, cabinet member for finance at WNC, said: “The debt from Illuminati's nightclub, associated with fixed penalty notices for coronavirus restriction violations, is still outstanding.”

Covid lockdown rules, which restricted physical interactions among the population, aimed to protect vulnerable groups, prevent the overload of the healthcare system, and buy time for the development of vaccines. Breaching these restrictions were punishable at the time.

The council has been asked how many times the nightclub breached these restrictions, on what dates these breaches took place and how it plans on getting its money back.

The latest and final Companies House report shows the company owes £103,000 to unsecured creditors. These are the suppliers, service providers, and contractors who won't be getting paid because there's no money left.