Legal delays blight Advantage revamp

ADVANTAGE Travel Centres has been forced to shelve the announcement of its long-awaited restructure at its overseas conference this week due to legal delays.

Full details of the consortium’s restructure, which will see members become stakeholders, were due to be revealed at the conference in Kuala Lumpur.

But delays of more than four months mean it is now unable to put its proposal for the structure of the organisation before members after its barrister failed to meet his deadline. 

The consortium’s solicitor wrote a letter of complaint to its barrister’s chambers after growing increasingly frustrated with the slow progress.

Sales and marketing director Colin O’Neill said the letter has forced the barrister to “get his finger out”.

O’Neill refused to name the barrister or his chamber.

The case to make the consortium profit making could go before a judge next week. Advantage’s plan was meant to get court approval by January 5.

“We are disappointed to say the least. It would have been nice to have it ready for the conference.”

Advantage member and Spicer Travel Bureau proprietor John Spicer said: “It’s not Advantage’s fault. I’m certainly not going to stand up and moan, I just hope they don’t pay the barrister.”

The delay has also held up the appointment of a managing director until at least autumn.

Advantage director and Galaxy Travel managing director Geoff Blagg will be interim MD until a permanent candidate is in place.

Blagg said headhunters have been approached over the £120,000-a-year post, but a shortlist is yet to be drawn up because the consortium’s new structure is still to be confirmed.

Meanwhile, Blagg will inform delegates of the redundancies of 11 Advantage staff at a closed session to members on Thursday. The employees’ consultation period will finish this week. If, as expected, all 11 staff are made redundant Advantage will be left with 24 staff.

Delegate numbers have reached 362, of which 177 are agents and 185 business partners.

Sorrento will host the Advantage conference in 2005. Dates are not yet confirmed.