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Page updated:
19th April 2003 2003

Worries raised over owners of Learning Library

A national newspaper has expressed concern about the Learning Library, and alleged that its owners are convicted fraudsters.

The Guardian's "Capital Letters" investigated the company following a letter from a worried learner, who was being charged for a course they had never received.

The journalist initially assumed that the Learning Library was guilty of nothing more than an "administrative oversight," but when repeated phone calls failed to solve the problem, he dug deeper.

He discovered that the Learning Library and some of its shareholders,
"have an interesting history involving both the Inland Revenue and the Charity Commision."

The record at Companies House is said to show Robert Webb and Moira Simpson as shareholders.

According to the Guardian,
"Webb and Simpson were found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court of "common law cheat, conspiracy to cheat and false accounting" in May 1999.

They had apparently used the government's Vocation Training Relief Scheme,
"to defraud the Inland Revenue of Ł1.9m through The Learning Library."

In November 2000, Webb was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment.

The Guardian also alleged that the Library's company secretary was a director of a charity called Oak House College (which at one point was also called The Learning Library).

The Charity Commission is said to have decided Oak House College was established,
"as a "sham" to evade tax with two connected parties, Bahamas-registered Shambord International and Empress Finance."

The Guardian advised the learner who had enrolled with the Library to ask Trading Standards for help with recovering the money.

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You can read the Guardian articles about the Learning Library at:

ODL QC cannot confirm or refute these allegations. We suggest that learners seek clarification about these issues from the Learning Library itself, before entering into any agreement with them.

Nor can we comment on the quality of the Library's courses, as it has not chosen to undergo the ODL QC accreditation process.

On the Courses page you can choose from over 16,000 opportunities offered by accredited oragnisations. These have met our Standards and we guarantee they will provide a good service.


News links Press Releases Newsletter Distance Learning News Contact us at info@odlqc.org.uk Tel: 020 7612 7090 Fax: 020 7612 7092 Search the site Quicklinks home accreditation learners resources about ODL QC buyers guide courses providers standards news newsletter links ŠODL QC Page updated: 19th April 2003 2003	Worries raised over owners of Learning Library A national newspaper has expressed concern about the Learning Library, and alleged that its owners are convicted fraudsters.
	The Guardian's "Capital Letters" investigated the company following a letter from a worried learner, who was being charged for a course they had never received. The journalist initially assumed that the Learning Library was guilty of nothing more than an "administrative oversight," but when repeated phone calls failed to solve the problem, he dug deeper. He discovered that the Learning Library and some of its shareholders, "have an interesting history involving both the Inland Revenue and the Charity Commision." The record at Companies House is said to show Robert Webb and Moira Simpson as shareholders. According to the Guardian, "Webb and Simpson were found guilty at Snaresbrook Crown Court of "common law cheat, conspiracy to cheat and false accounting" in May 1999. They had apparently used the government's Vocation Training Relief Scheme, "to defraud the Inland Revenue of Ł1.9m through The Learning Library." In November 2000, Webb was sentenced to four and a half years' imprisonment. The Guardian also alleged that the Library's company secretary was a director of a charity called Oak House College (which at one point was also called The Learning Library).	The Charity Commission is said to have decided Oak House College was established, "as a "sham" to evade tax with two connected parties, Bahamas-registered Shambord International and Empress Finance." The Guardian advised the learner who had enrolled with the Library to ask Trading Standards for help with recovering the money. --------------------- You can read the Guardian articles about the Learning Library at: www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/ story/0,3605,939368,00.html www.guardian.co.uk/guardian_jobs_and_money/ story/0,3605,914139,00.html ODL QC cannot confirm or refute these allegations. We suggest that learners seek clarification about these issues from the Learning Library itself, before entering into any agreement with them. Nor can we comment on the quality of the Library's courses, as it has not chosen to undergo the ODL QC accreditation process. On the Courses page you can choose from over 16,000 opportunities offered by accredited oragnisations. These have met our Standards and we guarantee they will provide a good service.

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