Henry Construction claims head toward single trial as administration extended

Geoffrey Rowley and David Hudson of FRP Advisory, the administrators of Henry Construction Projects, are preparing for a single trial covering more than £30 million of claims against members of the Henry family, company directors and associated businesses, after defendants filed their defences in three sets of proceedings.

In their latest report, the administrators said the £10 million dividend claim, the approximately £15.8 million Keash Companies proceedings and the approximately £5.5 million family payments claim have been ordered to be case managed together. The next procedural step will be a case management conference setting directions toward trial.

The defendants filed their defences on 9 July 2025, shortly after we last reported on the claims, and the administrators served replies on 14 November. Mishcon de Reya are retained as counsel on the litigation.

The £10 million proceedings concern a January 2023 dividend paid by Henry Construction to parent Henry Group Holdings while Holdings allegedly owed the construction company approximately the same amount. Holdings later transferred £10 million to Elizabeth Henry, the mother of director Mark Henry. The administrators acquired any related claim held by Holdings under a February 2025 deed of assignment.

The Keash Companies claim seeks approximately £15.8 million plus interest from nine companies associated with Mark Henry’s wife, Therese Woulfe, and brother, Liam Henry. The family payments proceedings seek approximately £5.5 million plus interest over transactions alleged to have benefited members of the Henry family personally, including property expenditure and personal tax payments.

FRP said its investigations remain ongoing and further recovery claims may be pursued. The administrators continue to review the company’s accounting records, bank accounts and more than 15 terabytes of electronic data, while considering the costs and potential returns of additional proceedings.

The administration has been extended by court order until 7 June 2027. FRP expects Henry Construction ultimately to move into creditors’ voluntary liquidation, where any distribution to unsecured creditors would be handled after the asset realisation process and litigation have concluded.

Preferential claims of approximately £67,000 were paid in full in August 2025. FRP said there may also be sufficient funds for an unsecured dividend, although the outcome depends heavily on the litigation and cannot yet be estimated. The company has more than 5,000 potential creditors.

The estate has realised approximately £12.49 million since the administrators’ appointment in June 2023, including £4.11 million of tax refunds, £1.96 million from plant and machinery and £1.80 million from scaffolding and formwork. Cumulative legal fees total approximately £2.85 million, while administrators’ remuneration drawn totals £3.16 million. The estate held approximately £1.28 million at 7 June 2026.

Read the administrators’ latest report here.