The owner of a Liverpool restaurant has said his business has been misrepresented after appearing on a government list. Paul Askew's The Art School is among a number of Merseyside employers who failed to pay their staff minimum wages, according to an investigation by the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade (BIST).
Findings published
The findings, published on Thursday, September 3, revealed a total of 83 businesses across the North West were found to have underpaid staff, with workers owed almost £320,000 between them.
Among those named were 27 employers operating across Liverpool, Wirral, Southport and St Helens, and a further four businesses in the Warrington area and two in Runcorn. Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Baa Bar were among those named and shamed.
Restaurant's response
According to the list, The Art School fine dining restaurant on Sugnall Street, in the Georgian Quarter of Liverpool, failed to pay £613.62 to 10 workers. In response, Paul Askew, Chef Patron of The Art School, said: "This matter was resolved two years ago and there were no penalties paid.
"Many operators in the hospitality industry, including The Art School, did not know about a uniform allowance which needed to be paid to part time staff, which resulted in their wages being interpreted by DWP as below the minimum wage threshold. As soon as we were made aware this was fully paid."
The uniform allowance shortfall totalled just under £600 over a 7 year period, during which all minimum wage pay scales were exceeded.
Wage rates and enforcement
The minimum wages for workers aged 21 and over is currently £12.71 per hour. For 18 to 20-year-olds it is £10.85 per hour, and for under 18s and apprentices it is £8 per hour.
Paul added: "We take immense pride in looking after all of our staff in every way. So being on this list is a massive misrepresentation of our practices as a people-led business."
The government has committed to publishing more regular lists identifying employers who underpay their staff, with the aim of holding bosses to account and making improvements as soon as possible.
This week's list is the first to be released since the Fair Work Agency was set up in April 2026. This new enforcement body was formed through the recently passed Employment Rights Act to bring workers' rights enforcement under one roof.
The Agency offers a single, streamlined place where employers will be able to get guidance on how to follow the rules. It also has more power to ensure that workers across the country are paid the hard-earned wages they are owed, including enforcing payment of the minimum wage, and will also tackle business owners who break the law by denying holiday and sick pay.
