Westbury Private Clients LLP
Westbury Private Clients LLP (FRN 595603) was an FCA-regulated investment management firm that created and managed portfolios for clients, including pension holders. The firm became the subject of FCA and FSCS scrutiny after serious concerns emerged about the suitability of the investment strategies it employed on behalf of clients.
The FCA identified that James Paul Goodchild, the portfolio manager at Westbury, had created portfolios that were plainly unsuitable for the clients whose pension funds were placed in them. Working in a connected arrangement with Stephen Joseph Burdett of Synergy Wealth Limited, Goodchild placed approximately 38% of overall client holdings into a single offshore property developer. The portfolios managed by Westbury comprised 232 personal pension funds worth over £10 million. The FCA intervened in 2016 to protect consumers, and both Westbury and Synergy subsequently went into liquidation.
The FCA banned both Burdett and Goodchild from working in regulated financial services. The Upper Tribunal upheld both the bans and the financial penalties imposed, with those decisions confirmed as recently as February 2026. The FSCS declared Westbury Private Clients in default on 6 May 2022, and has paid out over £1.4 million to victims.
Issues / Why You May Have a Claim
Former clients of Westbury Private Clients who had their pension funds placed into unsuitable, highly concentrated investment portfolios may be eligible for FSCS compensation. If you were introduced to Westbury by Synergy Wealth or another financial adviser and your retirement savings were exposed to high-risk investments without your proper understanding and consent, please speak to our team.
Company background (public record)
The company was incorporated at Companies House on 15 November 2010 under company number OC359503. Its status at Companies House is recorded as dissolved.
Registered office: 63 Walter Road, Swansea, SA1 4PT.
Company timeline (public record)
Key dated events for this firm, drawn from public records. Each entry shows its source.
| Date | Event | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 15 Nov 2010 | Company incorporated | Companies House |
| 15 Nov 2010 | James Paul Goodchild appointed llp-designated-member | Companies House |
| 15 Nov 2010 | Henham Limited appointed corporate-llp-designated-member | Companies House |
| 17 Dec 2010 | Mss Capital Limited appointed corporate-llp-member | Companies House |
| 18 Dec 2012 | Mss Capital Limited resigned as corporate-llp-member | Companies House |
| 05 Mar 2013 | Mathew Gauntlett Shuter appointed llp-designated-member | Companies House |
| 01 Jul 2013 | James Paul Goodchild approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 01 Jul 2013 | Mathew Gauntlett Shuter approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 15 Jul 2013 | Paul Panayi approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 18 Oct 2013 | Matthew Harvey Robinson approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 11 May 2015 | Alan Mark Molloy approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 30 Nov 2015 | Nigel Douglas Davidson Blaikie approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 07 Dec 2015 | Joseph Ballintine Snow approved by the FCA at the firm | FCA Register |
| 31 Dec 2015 | Mathew Gauntlett Shuter resigned as llp-designated-member | Companies House |
| 01 Jan 2016 | Alan Mark Molloy appointed llp-member | Companies House |
| 30 Nov 2016 | Henham Limited resigned as corporate-llp-designated-member | Companies House |
| 15 Sep 2017 | Company wound up (creditors’ voluntary liquidation) | Companies House |
| 15 Sep 2017 | Insolvency practitioner appointed: Gary Stones | Companies House |
| 31 Dec 2019 | Insolvency practitioner appointed: Gareth Stones | Companies House |
| 13 Jul 2021 | FSCS update: FSCS’s investigations into Westbury Private Clients LLP are continuing | FSCS |
| 06 May 2022 | Declared in default by the FSCS | FSCS |
| 10 May 2022 | FSCS update: Westbury Private Clients (WPC) has recently been declared in default by FSCS | FSCS |
| 07 Feb 2023 | Company dissolved | Companies House |
| 07 Feb 2023 | Company due to be dissolved (creditors’ voluntary liquidation) | Companies House |
| 07 Feb 2023 | FCA status recorded as: No longer authorised | FCA Register |
| 10 Mar 2023 | FSCS update: Our investigation into Westbury remains ongoing | FSCS |
| 24 Jun 2024 | FSCS update: Our investigation into whether there are valid claims against Westbury Private Clients LLP (Westbury) is continuing | FSCS |
| 01 Nov 2024 | FSCS update: We have now finished our investigations into Westbury Private Clients LLP | FSCS |
Focused on the firm’s early history and the events leading up to and following its failure. 1 routine entries from its active years are omitted.
Who was involved?
The following individuals are listed on public records in connection with the firm. These are matters of public record only and their inclusion does not imply any wrongdoing by any named person.
- James Paul Goodchild. Listed on the FCA Register as having held SMF27 Partner (09/12/2019 to 07/02/2023), CF30 Customer (01/07/2013 to 08/12/2019), CF4 Partner (01/07/2013 to 08/12/2019), CF11 Money Laundering Reporting (01/07/2013 to 15/05/2015) at the firm.
- Joseph Ballintine Snow. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (07/12/2015 to 05/09/2017) at the firm.
- Paul Panayi. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (15/07/2013 to 21/02/2014) at the firm.
- Matthew Harvey Robinson. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (18/10/2013 to 07/10/2015) at the firm.
- Alan Mark Molloy. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (06/10/2015 to 01/09/2017), CF11 Money Laundering Reporting (11/05/2015 to 01/09/2017), CF10 Compliance Oversight (11/05/2015 to 01/09/2017), CF4 Partner (06/07/2015 to 01/09/2017) at the firm.
- Mathew Gauntlett Shuter. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF4 Partner (01/07/2013 to 08/07/2015) at the firm.
- . Henham Limited. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF4 Partner (01/07/2013 to 25/01/2017) at the firm.
- Nigel Douglas Davidson Blaikie. Listed on the FCA Register as having held CF30 Customer (30/11/2015 to 05/09/2017) at the firm.
- Henham Limited. Listed at Companies House as corporate-llp-designated-member (appointed 2010-11-15, resigned 2016-11-30).
- Mss Capital Limited. Listed at Companies House as corporate-llp-member (appointed 2010-12-17, resigned 2012-12-18).
Review page sources: FCA Register (FRN 595603) · Companies House (OC359503) · FSCS. Public records, provided for transparency.
