LIBRA SPECIALITY CHEMICALS LIMITED
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Cash
£3m
-51.9% vs 2024
Net assets
£19m
-5.7% vs 2024
Employees
73
0% vs 2024
Profit before tax
£1m
-59.2% lowest in 6 filed years
Watchouts
Facts from the Companies House register and the latest accounts — not a rating
-
3 officer resignations in last 12 months
Multiple officers have left the board recently — see the People section for who.
Net assets
6-year trend · vs Basic Materials median
Accounts
6-year trend · Δ = latest vs prior filed period · latest reflected 2025-12-31
| Metric | Trend | 2020-12-31 | 2021-12-31 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 | Δ vs prior |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Turnover | £33,928,390 | £38,020,866 | £52,009,461 | £41,841,554 | £39,525,726 | £44,009,446 | +11.3% | |
| Operating profit | £5,786,641 | £3,697,078 | £6,248,040 | £2,582,446 | £2,695,943 | £1,189,851 | -55.9% | |
| Profit before tax | £5,737,136 | £3,642,533 | £6,104,874 | £2,394,591 | £2,502,290 | £1,020,283 | -59.2% | |
| Net profit | £4,622,896 | £2,780,134 | £5,094,120 | £1,981,505 | £2,025,955 | £869,501 | -57.1% | |
| Cash | £2,541,406 | £2,875,417 | £3,625,169 | £4,128,849 | £6,245,173 | £3,000,925 | -51.9% | |
| Total assets less current liabilities | £13,695,890 | £17,547,024 | £21,786,144 | £25,429,950 | £25,389,905 | £24,144,406 | -4.9% | |
| Net assets | £10,903,890 | £13,684,024 | £16,638,144 | £19,974,950 | £20,000,905 | £18,870,406 | -5.7% | |
| Equity | £10,903,890 | £13,684,024 | £16,638,144 | £19,974,950 | £20,000,905 | £18,870,406 | -5.7% | |
| Average employees | 59 | 66 | 69 | 72 | 73 | 73 | 0% | |
| Wages | £2,060,940 | £2,274,484 | £2,744,285 | £2,833,167 | £3,116,585 | £3,220,693 | +3.3% | |
| Directors' remuneration | £413,292 | £462,301 | £447,970 | £532,260 | £705,892 | £619,868 | -12.2% | |
| Directors' pension contributions | — | — | — | £14,700 | £165,409 | £18,028 | -89.1% | |
| Highest paid director | — | — | — | £150,000 | £240,712 | £157,652 | -34.5% |
Values shown as filed in the company's annual accounts. — indicates the figure wasn't present under that line item in that period. The Δ column is the change from the prior filed period as a percentage of |prior|; lines a company doesn't report show —. About these numbers
Ratios
Computed from the line items above — sparklines read oldest → newest
| Ratio | Trend | 2020-12-31 | 2021-12-31 | 2022-12-31 | 2023-12-31 | 2024-12-31 | 2025-12-31 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating margin | 17.1% | 9.7% | 12.0% | 6.2% | 6.8% | 2.7% | |
| Net margin | 13.6% | 7.3% | 9.8% | 4.7% | 5.1% | 2.0% | |
| Return on capital employed | 42.3% | 21.1% | 28.7% | 10.2% | 10.6% | 4.9% | |
| Gearing (liabilities / total assets) | 44.5% | 46.7% | 45.4% | 37.7% | 37.7% | 40.2% | |
| Current ratio | — | — | — | 2.56x | 2.58x | 2.33x | |
| Interest cover | — | 67.68x | 43.02x | 13.75x | 13.92x | 6.90x |
Margins divide P&L lines by turnover. Gearing is liabilities over total assets. Current ratio is current assets over creditors falling due within one year. Interest cover is operating profit over absolute finance costs. Sector-distribution context coming next.
Name history
Renamed 1 time since incorporation
- LIBRA SPECIALITY CHEMICALS LIMITED 2011-05-03 → present
- LIBRA CHEMICALS LIMITED 1971-04-27 → 2011-05-03
Audit & accounting basis
- Accounting basis
- FRS 102
- Reporting scope
- Standalone (parent only)
- Auditor
- Sumer Auditco Limited
- Audit opinion
- Unqualified (clean)
- Going concern
- Affirmed
“At the time of approving the financial statements, the directors have a reasonable expectation that the company has adequate resources to continue in operational existence for the foreseeable future. Thus the directors continue to adopt the going concern basis of accounting in preparing...”
Significant events
- “There were no subsequent events that could have a significant impact on the results of the Company for 2025.”
Auditor, going-concern and subsidiary information is drawn from the narrative of the latest annual accounts. About these numbers
People
9 active · 26 resigned
| Name | Role | Appointed | Born | Nationality |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| KEARNS, David Thomas | Secretary | 2010-12-02 | — | — |
| CARSON, Philip Mathew | Director | 2017-11-21 | Sep 1981 | British |
| DUTTON, Jon | Director | 2021-09-01 | Mar 1990 | British |
| KEARNS, David Thomas | Director | 2010-11-02 | Mar 1968 | British |
| LANE, David Kenneth | Director | 2026-09-30 | Apr 1971 | British |
| NDIWENI, Dean | Director | 2024-12-04 | Jul 1982 | British |
| ROYLE, Graham | Director | 2010-11-02 | Jul 1959 | British |
| SHERRATT, Amanda | Director | 2026-09-01 | Jun 1978 | British |
| SMITH, Oliver, Dr | Director | 2026-09-01 | Jun 1995 | British |
Show 26 resigned officers
| Name | Role | Appointed | Resigned |
|---|---|---|---|
| STAMFORD, Graham Jeffrey | Secretary | 1994-08-30 | 2010-11-02 |
| THOMPSON, Joan Clare | Secretary | — | 1994-08-30 |
| ATKINSON, Paul James | Director | 2011-06-01 | 2015-11-30 |
| BIRKINSHAW, John Pearson | Director | 1994-08-30 | 1998-02-01 |
| BUTCHER, John Thomas Philip | Director | 1994-08-30 | 2006-07-27 |
| BYWATER, Rachael Sarah | Director | 2020-02-24 | 2020-05-26 |
| COX, Graham, Dr | Director | 2016-02-08 | 2024-12-04 |
| FAIRCLOUGH, John | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2008-06-20 |
| FORSHAW, Lorraine | Director | 2012-10-12 | 2022-02-01 |
| HODGKISS, Sarah Jane | Director | 2008-10-17 | 2018-05-23 |
| LEES, Thomas | Director | 2025-03-20 | 2026-02-26 |
| LOCK, Richard Antony David | Director | 2017-08-11 | 2019-12-24 |
| O'NEILL, Elaine | Director | 2016-01-01 | 2016-08-05 |
| O'NEILL, Francis John | Director | 2008-04-17 | 2018-03-31 |
| O`NEILL, Francis John | Director | 1998-04-01 | 2006-07-27 |
| PLESTED, Neil Robert | Director | 1997-08-18 | 2010-11-02 |
| REVELEY, Leslie | Director | 1994-08-30 | 2004-06-30 |
| STAMFORD, Graham Jeffrey | Director | 2000-10-24 | 2010-11-02 |
| STOCKS, John Dennis | Director | 1994-08-30 | 2006-07-27 |
| THOMPSON, Brian John | Director | — | 1994-08-30 |
| THOMPSON, Joan Clare | Director | — | 1994-08-30 |
| TWIST, John | Director | — | 1996-08-16 |
| TWIST, Mary Elizabeth | Director | — | 1994-08-30 |
| TYLER, James Edward Benjamin | Director | 1999-04-01 | 2011-05-19 |
| WILES, Robert, Dr | Director | 2020-10-01 | 2026-09-01 |
| WILLIAMS, Christopher Howard | Director | 2022-02-01 | 2026-09-30 |
Ownership
Persons with significant control
| Name | Kind | Nature of control | Notified | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Libra Chemicals Ltd | Corporate entity | Shares 75–100% | 2024-10-01 | Active |
| Mr Graham Royle | Individual | Significant influence | 2016-04-06 | Active |
Filing timeline
Last 20 of 208 total filings
| Date | Type | Category | Description | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-30 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-09-30 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-09-28 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2026-09-03 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-09-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2026-09-02 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2026-08-03 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with updates | |
| 2026-03-02 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2025-12-19 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2025-12-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-12-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-12-16 | CH01 | officers | Change person director company with change date | |
| 2025-09-23 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2025-03-27 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-12-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates | |
| 2024-12-04 | AP01 | officers | Appoint person director company with name date | |
| 2024-12-04 | TM01 | officers | Termination director company with name termination date | |
| 2024-10-01 | PSC02 | persons-with-significant-control | Notification of a person with significant control | |
| 2024-09-20 | AA | accounts | Accounts with accounts type full | |
| 2023-12-11 | CS01 | confirmation-statement | Confirmation statement with no updates |
Public-record activity
Raw counts from Companies House — last 12–24 months
- Filings
- 12
- Capital events
- 0
- Officers appointed
- 3
- Officers resigned
- 3
last 12 months
last 24 months
last 12 months
last 12 months
Direct counts from the register. No score, no rating — see the Filing timeline for the underlying events.