Alan King/Lucinda Russell-check your pay packets

Leading trainers Alan King and Lucinda Russell have been named on a government list highlighting more than 650 employers who have failed to pay their staff the minimum wage.

King, who recently won the Ebor with Daiquiri Bay, failed to pay £19,050.72 to 24 employees at his Barbury Castle base.

The average arrears per worker was £793.78, with the arrears period running between April 1, 2019 to September 25, 2022.

King said: “We sincerely apologise to our colleagues who were affected by these past administrative errors. Our employees are the backbone of the business, and they deserve to be compensated accurately.

“As soon as HMRC brought this to our attention, we co-operated fully and all affected employees were back-paid on conclusion in 2023. HMRC identified a technical underpayment for 24 employees, totalling £19,050.72 – this represented a small fraction of under one per cent of total payroll in the review period.

“The regulations surrounding National Minimum Wage can be complicated, but that is not an excuse. We have learned from this process and are fully confident that our current operations prevent any repeat of these issues.”

Alan King: is hoping to see more from winner Spartan Army
Alan King: "We sincerely apologise to our colleagues who were affected by these past administrative errors"
Credit: Julian Herbert
Grand National-winning trainer Russell, whose yard trades as Arlary House Stables, failed to pay £2,158.39 to two workers. The arrears period started on October 1, 2023 and ended on October 31, 2024.

Russell said: “It was two errors as opposed to intentionally doing so regularly. We take the payment of staff very seriously and pay over the minimum wage. When they looked into the payment of all the other staff, of which we have around 60, they were all happy with them.

“The errors related to two different circumstances. I was charging one of the boys livery for a point-to-pointer he had, and so that ended up getting taken off his wages. The other matter related to a two-person accommodation and the staff member wanted to have it on its own, so again that was taken off his wage and bumped it down.”

The national living wage and national minimum wage rates, as of April 26, are £12.71 per hour for adults aged 21 or over, £10.85 per hour for those aged 18 to 20, and £8 per hour for under 18s and apprentices.

Lucinda Russell: 'I loved the way he walked and how he went in his point-to-point'
Lucinda Russell: Grand National-winning trainer
Credit: www.healyracing.ie
A BHA spokesperson said: "Having clarified the specific details with the yards concerned, we are content that staff are properly paid in accordance with government regulations."

Across the 658 employers highlighted, around £4 million has been returned to over 27,000 workers who had been denied the pay they were legally owed, with penalties totalling £7m issued to the employers responsible.

Business secretary Jonathan Reynolds said: “The best businesses know that looking after your workers isn’t just the right thing to do, it’s the smart thing to do, building the stronger, more successful businesses that drive growth in every postcode.

“Most employers already understand this, and I want to work with them to ensure they have every piece of guidance and support available to help them follow the rules. 

“Short-changing your staff isn’t a shortcut to success and we are determined to stamp it out.”