Policy Wire has reviewed the Insolvency Service’s “Director information hub: Help and guidance resources” page on GOV.UK. Under “Company advisory and membership services” it lists The Directors Helpline as “Free, impartial guidance for businesses”. The page shows a last update of 15 May 2024, and the wording remains visible as at 1 November 2025.
Public sources identify Jonathan Andrew Cooper as founder of The Directors Helpline. Companies House records show Mr Cooper has been an active director of JT Maxwell Limited since 4 April 2023, with the registered office at 1 Sackville Street, Lisburn. JT Maxwell presents itself as a firm of licensed insolvency practitioners.
JT Maxwell’s confirmation statement filed on 8 September 2025 lists its shareholders, including “Shareholding 3: Jonathan Cooper” holding 424 ordinary shares. That filing evidences a direct economic interest in the insolvency practice alongside his director role.
Despite these links, the GOV.UK resource labels The Directors Helpline as “free, impartial guidance” without a provider‑specific conflict statement next to the listing. Elsewhere on the same page the Insolvency Service notes that private sector services may be free or paid and advises users to understand costs from the outset, but it does not set out any ownership or referral disclosure for this entry.
For directors under pressure, labelling drives expectations. A service described as “free, impartial” is assumed to weigh the full range of options-early turnaround, time to pay arrangements with HMRC, independent legal and tax advice, and only where appropriate formal procedures such as administration or liquidation. Where a helpline’s principal also sits on the board of, and holds shares in, an insolvency practitioner, there is at minimum a reasonable perception of conflict that should be explained clearly at first contact.
The Directors Helpline markets itself as an independent consultancy, stating it is “not the insolvency practitioner” and that it works with “a trusted panel of licensed firms”. That operating model-while common-can route callers toward formal appointments, which increases the importance of plain‑English disclosure of any ownership, directorship or referral relationships.
Contemporary coverage of the hub’s July 2023 launch by Credit Connect recorded a quote from Jonathan Cooper and noted The Directors Helpline’s involvement in the project’s development. That proximity to the initiative strengthens the case for prominent transparency when the helpline is signposted on a government page.
The Insolvency Service does not need to exclude private providers to manage risk. It can tighten labelling by stating commercial status, require dated declarations covering ownership, directorships and any referral arrangements, and separate publicly funded or regulated charities from commercial services-placing the former first. Publishing basic outcomes data by provider (for example, proportions later pursuing time to pay, informal turnaround, CVA, administration, CVL or dissolution) would help directors judge incentives and choose appropriately.
Directors should also be offered a short cooling‑off checklist and at‑a‑glance alternatives at the point of click. The existing GOV.UK page already lists non‑commercial routes, including Business Debtline; surfacing those alongside commercial entries would preserve user choice while acknowledging the market’s role.
Bottom line: the current presentation gives a veneer of neutrality that does not reflect the documented links between The Directors Helpline and JT Maxwell. Updating the label and mandating provider‑level disclosures would align this listing with the Insolvency Service’s own emphasis on making informed decisions.
Who’s really “in your corner”? Let’s let actions speak louder than marketing. Updates coming, watch this space.