FINAL NOTICE

ACTION

1. By an application dated 2 September 2022 (“the Application”), Sussex Urban Motor

Company Ltd (“Sussex Urban Motor Company” or “the Applicant”) applied under
section 55A of the Act for Part 4A permission to carry on the regulated activities
of:

a.
Agreeing to carry on a regulated activity;

b.
Limited Permission Credit Broking; and,

c.
Providing credit information services.

2. The Application is incomplete.

3. For the reasons listed below, the Authority has refused the Application.

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SUMMARY OF REASONS

4. Sussex Urban Motor Company has failed to respond to requests for the provision

of information considered by the Authority to be necessary to allow the Application
to be determined. The last request included a statement to the effect that Sussex
Urban Motor Company must contact the Authority within 10 business days, or the
Authority would issue Sussex Urban Motor Company with a Warning Notice. No
response was received.

5. By its Warning Notice the Authority gave notice that it proposed to refuse the

Application and that Sussex Urban Motor Company was entitled to make
representations to the Authority about the proposed action by 17 March 2023.

6. As no representations to the Warning Notice were received by the Authority from

Sussex Urban Motor Company the default procedures in paragraph 2.3.2 of the
Authority’s Decision Procedure and Penalties Manual applied, permitting the
Authority to treat the matters as referred to in the Warning Notice as undisputed
and, accordingly, to give a Decision Notice.

7. By its Decision Notice dated 24 March 2023, the Authority gave Sussex Urban Motor

Company notice that it had decided to take the action described above.

8. Sussex Urban Motor Company had 28 days from the date the Decision Notice was

given to refer the matter to the Upper Tribunal (formerly known as the Financial
Services and Markets Tribunal). No referral was made to the Upper Tribunal within
this period of time or to date.

9. Under section 390 (1) of the Act, the Authority having decided to refuse the

Application, and there having been no reference of that decision to the Tribunal,
must give Sussex Urban Motor Company Final Notice of its refusal.

10. Authorised firms (and those seeking authorisation) are expected to engage with

the Authority in an open and cooperative way. The failure to provide the requested
information raises concerns that Sussex Urban Motor Company would fail to do so
if the Application were to be granted.

11. The failure to provide the information raises concerns as to whether Sussex Urban

a. can be effectively supervised by the Authority as required by threshold

condition 2C;

b. has appropriate human resources, given Sussex Urban Motor Company’s

failure to provide the Authority with the requested information as required
by threshold condition 2D; and

c. will conduct its business with integrity and in compliance with proper

standards as required by threshold condition 2E.

DEFINITIONS

12. The definitions below are used in this Final Notice.

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“the Act” means the Financial Services and Markets Act 2000;

“the Application” means the application referred to in paragraph 1 above;

“the Authority” means the body corporate previously known as the Financial
Services Authority and renamed on 1 April 2013 as the Financial Conduct Authority;

“the Executive Decision Maker” means the member of the Authority’s staff acting
under executive procedures as described in Chapter 4 of the Decision Procedure
and Penalties Manual in the Authority’s Handbook.

“SUP” means the Supervision section of the Authority’s handbook;

“SYSC” means the Senior Management Arrangements, Systems and Controls
section of the Authority’s handbook; and

“the Tribunal” means the Upper Tribunal (Tax & Chancery Chamber).

FACTS AND MATTERS

13. The Application was received by the Authority on 2 September 2022.

14. Further information was requested from Sussex Urban Motor Company under

section 55U(5) of the Act.

15. The Authority requested further information in support of the Application

surrounding the firm’s intended activities.

IMPACT ON THRESHOLD CONDITIONS

16. Sussex Urban Motor Company has failed to respond to multiple requests for the

provision of information considered by the Authority to be necessary to allow the
Application to be determined.

17. Whilst the firm has responded to some requests made by the Authority during the

application process, the information set out at paragraph 15 remains outstanding.
This is despite several requests being made by the Authority for it.

18. The final request gave Sussex Urban Motor Company 10 business days to respond,

and included a statement to the effect that Sussex Urban Motor Company must
contact the Authority, or the Authority would issue Sussex Urban Motor Company
with a Warning Notice.

19. The Warning Notice gave Sussex Urban Motor Company until 17 March 2023 to

respond with representations. Sussex Urban Motor Company did not provide
representations to the Warning Notice by the deadline stated.

20. The Authority must therefore determine the Application based upon the information

received to date, in circumstances where its requests for information have not been
met. Having reviewed that information, the Authority cannot ensure that Sussex
Urban Motor Company satisfies, and will continue to satisfy, the threshold
conditions.

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21. Authorised firms (and those seeking authorisation) are expected to engage with

the Authority in an open and cooperative way. The failure to provide the requested
information raises concerns that Sussex Urban Motor Company would fail to do so
if the Application were to be granted.

22. The failure to provide the information raises concerns as to whether Sussex Urban

a. can be effectively supervised by the Authority as required by threshold

condition 2C;

b. has appropriate human resources, given Sussex Urban Motor Company’s

failure to provide the Authority with the requested information as required
by threshold condition 2D; and

c. will conduct its business with integrity and in compliance with proper

standards as required by threshold condition 2E.

PROCEDURAL MATTERS

IMPORTANT NOTICES

23. This Final Notice is given under section 390 of the Act.

24. Sections 391(4), 391(6) and 391(7) of the Act apply to the publication of

information about the matter to which this Notice relates. Under those provisions,
the Authority must publish such information about the matter to which this Notice
relates as the Authority considers appropriate.


25. The information may be published in such manner as the Authority considers

appropriate. However, the Authority may not publish information if such publication
would, in the opinion of the Authority, be unfair to you or prejudicial to the interests
of consumers or detrimental to the stability of the UK financial system.


26. The Authority intends to publish such information about the matter to which this

Final Notice relates as it considers appropriate.

Authority contacts

27. For more information concerning this matter generally, contact Sarah Whittington-

Spivey, Manager, Credit & Lending Authorisations at the Authority (direct line: 020
7066 5949 / email: Sarah.Whittington-Spivey@fca.org.uk).

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ANNEX A – REGULATORY PROVISIONS RELEVANT TO THIS FINAL NOTICE

1. Section 55A(1) of the Act provides for an application for permission to carry on one

or more regulated activities to be made to the appropriate regulator. Section
55A(2) defines the “appropriate regulator” for different applications.

2. Section 55B(3) of the Act provides that, in giving or varying permission, imposing

or varying a requirement, or giving consent, under any provision of Part 4A of the
Act, each regulator must ensure that the person concerned will satisfy, and
continue to satisfy, in relation to all of the regulated activities for which the person
has or will have permission, the threshold conditions for which that regulator is
responsible.

3. The threshold conditions are set out in schedule 6 of the Act. In brief, the threshold

conditions relate to:

(1)
Threshold condition 2B: Location of offices

(2)
Threshold condition 2C: Effective supervision

(3)
Threshold condition 2D: Appropriate resources

(4)
Threshold condition 2E: Suitability

(5)
Threshold condition 2F: Business model

Relevant provisions of the Authority’s Handbook

4. In exercising its powers in relation to the granting of a Part 4A permission, the

Authority must have regard to guidance published in the Authority’s Handbook,
including the part entitled Threshold Conditions (“COND”). The main considerations
in relation to the action specified are set out below.

5. COND 1.3.2G(2) states that, in relation to threshold conditions 2D to 2F, the

Authority will consider whether a firm is ready, willing and organised to comply on
a continuing basis with the requirements and standards under the regulatory
system which will apply to the firm if it is granted Part 4A permission.

6. COND 1.3.3AG provides that, in determining the weight to be given to any relevant

matter, the Authority will consider its significance in relation to the regulated
activities for which the firm has, or will have, permission in the context of its ability
to supervise the firm adequately, having regard to the Authority’s statutory
objectives. In this context, a series of matters may be significant when taken
together, even though each of them in isolation might not give serious cause for
concern.

7. COND 1.3.3BG provides that, in determining whether the firm will satisfy, and

continue to satisfy, the Authority threshold conditions, the Authority will have
regard to all relevant matters, whether arising in the United Kingdom or elsewhere.

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Threshold Condition 2C: Effective Supervision

8. COND 2.3.3G states that, in assessing the threshold condition set out in paragraph

2C of Schedule 6 to the Act, factors which the Authority will take into consideration
include, among other things, whether it is likely that the Authority will receive
adequate information from the firm to determine whether it is complying with the
requirements and standards under the regulatory system for which the Authority
is responsible and to identify and assess the impact on its statutory objectives; this
will include consideration of whether the firm is ready, willing and organised to
comply with Principle 11 (Relations with regulators) and the rules in SUP on the
provision of information to the Authority.

Threshold condition 2D: Appropriate Resources

9. COND 2.4.2G(2) states that the Authority will interpret the term 'appropriate' as

meaning sufficient in terms of quantity, quality and availability, and 'resources' as
including all financial resources (though only in the case of firms not carrying on,
or seeking to carry on, a PRA-regulated activity), non-financial resources and
means of managing its resources; for example, capital, provisions against liabilities,
holdings of or access to cash and other liquid assets, human resources and effective
means by which to manage risks.


10. COND 2.4.2G(2A) provides that, ‘non-financial resources’ of the firm include human

resources it has available.


11. COND 2.4.2G (3) states that high level systems and control requirements are in

SYSC. The Authority will consider whether the firm is ready, willing and organised
to comply with these and other applicable systems and controls requirements when
assessing if it has appropriate non-financial resources for the purpose of the
threshold conditions set out in threshold condition 2D.

Threshold condition 2E: Suitability

12. COND 2.5.2G(2) states that the Authority will also take into consideration anything

that could influence a firm's continuing ability to satisfy the threshold conditions
set out in paragraphs 2E and 3D of Schedule 6 to the Act. Examples include the
firm's position within a UK or international group, information provided by overseas
regulators about the firm, and the firm's plans to seek to vary its Part 4A permission
to carry on additional regulated activities once it has been granted that permission.

13. COND 2.5.4G(2)(c)G states that examples of the kind of general considerations to

which the Authority may have regard when assessing whether a firm will satisfy,
and continue to satisfy, threshold condition 2E include, but are not limited to,
whether the firm can demonstrate that it conducts, or will conduct, its business
with integrity and in compliance with proper standards.

14. COND 2.5.6G provides that examples of the kind of particular considerations to

which the Authority may have regard when assessing whether a firm will satisfy,
and continue to satisfy, this threshold condition include, but are not limited to,
whether the firm has been open and co-operative in all its dealings with the
Authority and any other regulatory body (see Principle 11 (Relations with
regulators)) and is ready, willing and organised to comply with the requirements
and standards under the regulatory system (such as the detailed requirements of

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SYSC and, in relation to a firm not carrying on, or seeking to carry on, a PRA-
regulated activity only, the Prudential Standards part of the Authority’s
Handbook)in addition to other legal, regulatory and professional obligations; the
relevant requirements and standards will depend on the circumstances of each
case, including the regulated activities which the firm has permission, or is seeking
permission, to carry on.