Brewery boss fined for failings in pension scheme

A BREWERY owner and his pub company have been fined for failing to provide pension scheme information on time.

Samuel Smith Old Brewery and its chairman Humphrey Smith were fined £18,750 and £8,000 respectively at Brighton Magistrates’ Court.

Smith, 73, was charged following an inquiry by The Pensions Regulator into the North Yorkshire-based pub chain last year, which was started in order to understand the funding position of some of the brewery’s pension schemes.

Criminal proceedings were brought against the Tadcaster company after it failed to meet a January 26 deadline this year for providing the relevant information, the regulator said.

Smith was charged because the offence by the company was committed with his consent, connivance or neglect, the pensions watchdog said.

Smith, who was not in court, and the company were also ordered to pay a total between them of £1,240 in costs and victim surcharges, the court said. In May, both the company and Smith pleaded guilty to neglecting or refusing to provide information and documents without a reasonable excuse under the Pensions Act 2004, the regulator said.

The company provided the necessary details several months later but criminal proceedings had already been launched by that point, it added.

Samuel Smith Old Brewery was established in 1758 and is more commonly known as Sam Smith’s.

Said to be Yorkshire’s oldest brewery, it operates 200 pubs across the UK.

The Pensions Regulator can force pension schemes, employers and third parties to provide it with information and documents under section 72 of the Act.

Failure to respond to its demands is a criminal offence and can result in the imposition of an unlimited fine.