(26 Jan 2026, 8:26 pm)Adrian wrote I don't believe that this is true, and I've challenged this point before.

The significant losses under Martijn's reign were during the pandemic, and specifically lockdown, when they lost 90% of their business overnight.

The major losses then reported after Nigel took over, was on the most part the result of a restructuring exercise (and subsequent redundancies). It was a one off and it was noted in the accounts for that period.

Even beyond that, what has Nigel achieved? You'll recall Newcastle United were balance sheet champions under Mike Ashley, but it didn't mean they were delivering their core business.

Despite the restructuring exercise, it is worth noting that the headcount at Go North East is larger than it ever was before. Overhead costs these days must be staggeringly high compared to what they were.

I saw an old photograph of a management “away day” last week, taken 4-5 years ago. The entire team - including directorate, senior management and depot management - consisted of 42 people. Interesting to note that just four of those remain in employment with the company now, with most having voluntarily left.

Prior to that photo being taken, aside from retirees, Go North East’s Head Office team had an incredibly low turnover.

I wonder what changed.