DEVELOPMENT POLICY SOLUTIONS LTD
🌳Matureactive
SC474251 · ltd · incorporated 2014-04-02
Investment thesis
Well-run mature business — low negotiation leverage; premium likely.
Why interesting: Textbook target; clean filings, stable trading.
Why risky: No pressure on seller; any deal likely at full price.
Opportunity decay
hardening · 12-months
Already tight — no obvious softening catalysts on the horizon.
- · Thesis: well-run, low negotiation leverage
🔒Estimated value
—
Upgrade to see
Turnover
—
year to Apr 2025
Net worth
£30.7k
book net assets
Opportunity
79/100
Strong
What this business does
Primary activity: Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Sector: Professional, scientific & technical
Investor take
PursueAsset-holding vehicle with a 66-year-old founder — textbook succession opportunity.
Opportunity 79/100 (strong), bankability 75/100. Strong seller-intent signal (68/100, director aged 66). Share purchase looks the cleaner deal structure. Most likely exit: share sale to pe / searcher (73/100).
Data confidence
Overall: high (80/100)Strong data coverage across all sections. AI outputs should be trusted with minimal caveats.
Company profile
address, 1 SIC codes, incorporation date
100
Financials
2 years of iXBRL accounts extracted (YoY deltas available) + narrative notes parsed
75
Lenders & charges
Confirmed no charges registered
85
Directors & officers
2 officers (2 active, 2 linked, 2 with DOB)
90
Ownership & PSC
2 active PSC(s) of 2 total, 2 with control declared
90
Director network
2 connected companies via shared directors
51
Filing history
41 filings on record
85
Gazette notices
No matching gazette notices (standard for active companies)
60
Opportunity Score
79/100Strong
PassWatchWorth a lookStrongExceptional
Solid opportunity signal. Worth a dedicated memo and management meeting.
Business quality
70
Active, clean filings, stable charge profile.
Acquirability
75
Strong succession / seller-readiness signals.
Risk profile
85
Few red flags.
Signal strength
90
Good data coverage for analysis.
Signals from accounts
Derived from iXBRL accounts · accounting standard not declaredPositive net assets
Net assets £30,667
Net assets shrinking
Down £14,049 YoY
Key financials
2 years extracted from filed iXBRL accountsCash
—
Net Worth
£31k
↓ 31% YoY
Current Assets
£23k
↓ 49% YoY
Current Liabilities
—
Hover to see exact values · click legend to toggle series
Financials
Extracted from Companies House accounts · accounting standard unknown| Metric | 2025-04-30 | 2024-04-30 |
|---|---|---|
| Total assets | £32.4k | £46.5k |
| Current assets | £23.4k | £46.1k |
| Net assets | £30.7k | £44.7k |
Amounts extracted automatically from iXBRL. Fields left blank were not reported or not mapped. Values in GBP unless stated.
🔒Filing-note intelligence
1 signal detected in this company's narrative notes — going-concern language, audit opinion, contingent liabilities, related-party transactions.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Recent activity
Last 30 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 90 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Last 180 days
1
filing
- • 1 confirmation-statement
Counts from Companies House filing history.
Corporate timeline (22 events)Click to expand
- 2025-10-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2024-11-12📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-10-16📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2023-08-16📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-04-04📄change-to-a-person-with-significant-controlpersons-with-significant-control · PSC04
- 2023-04-04📄change-person-director-company-with-change-dateofficers · CH01
- 2023-03-30📄capital-variation-of-rights-attached-to-sharescapital · SH10
- 2023-03-30📄resolutionresolution · RESOLUTIONS
- 2023-03-30📄capital-name-of-class-of-sharescapital · SH08
- 2023-03-28📄memorandum-articlesincorporation · MA
- 2022-12-20📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2022-02-15📄appoint-person-director-company-with-name-dateofficers · AP01
- 2022-01-01➕SIMPSON, Mark, Dr appointeddirector
- 2021-10-18📄accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entityaccounts · AA
- 2014-04-02🏢Company incorporatedAs DEVELOPMENT POLICY SOLUTIONS LTD
- 2014-04-02➕BEATTIE, Allison Eva, Dr appointeddirector
Owner dependency
78/100
High — earn-out structure requiredMaterial founder dependency. Consider a 2-3 year earn-out and build in a handover plan before completion.
FACTORS
- +Two-director setup: Only two active directors — typical of owner-managed SMEs but limits succession.
- +Founder age: Director aged approximately 66 — succession pressure is live.
- +No director turnover: Company is 12 years old with no director changes — suggests a very tight-knit founder team never broadened.
Succession & seller-readiness
69/100
Strong succession signalMultiple signals suggest succession is on the horizon. Candidate for proactive outreach.
SIGNALS
- primaryFounder aged 63+: Senior director is approximately 66. Approaching typical UK retirement age — succession thinking likely.
- secondaryTwo-director governance: Small-team governance. Succession depth is thin but not absent.
- secondary12+ year tenure: Director in role 12 years.
- supportingClean filings + long tenure: Disciplined long-tenure operator — classic lifestyle-business pattern that often sells quietly.
Red flags
cleanNo red flags detected from available public data. (This is not a clean bill of health — detailed accounts review still recommended.)
Shareholders & ownership
2 active beneficial owners| Name | Shares | Voting rights | Nature of control | Notified |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Dr Mark Simpson Individual · British · DOB 12/1960 · age 66 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 18/04/2018 |
Dr Allison Beattie Individual · British · DOB 04/1962 · age 64 | 25–50% | — | 25-50% shares | 18/04/2018 |
From Companies House Persons with Significant Control filings. Share ranges are banded per the public PSC regime.
🔒Co-director network graph
Radial SVG graph showing every company connected via shared directors, colour-coded by status.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Similar companies
Active · Professional services · EH postcode area| Company | Est. value | Turnover | Net worth | Staff | Age | Opp | Director |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DUNCAN WALKER PARTNERSHIP LIMITED→ SC515610 · est 2015 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 10y | — | — |
| DUST CO (SCOTLAND) LTD→ SC617876 · est 2019 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EA INDEPENDENT LTD→ SC572457 · est 2017 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 8y | — | — |
| EAST SUFFOLK GROUP LIMITED→ SC842878 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EBOR POLITICAL CONSULTANTS LIMITED→ SC616654 · est 2018 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 7y | — | — |
| EBTS LTD→ SC327537 · est 2007 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 18y | — | — |
| EDEN MILL RETAIL HOLDINGS LTD→ SC535328 · est 2016 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 9y | — | — |
| EDEN SCOTT (ABERDEEN) LIMITED→ SC362015 · est 2009 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 16y | — | — |
| EDEN SCOTT LTD→ SC243605 · est 2003 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 23y | — | — |
| EDIN CAR RENTAL LTD→ SC818248 · est 2024 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH BUSINESS CONSULTANCY LTD→ SC720440 · est 2022 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 4y | — | — |
| EDINBURGH FEE CORP LIMITED→ SC841381 · est 2025 · no financials extracted | — | — | — | — | 1y | — | — |
Peers ranked by estimated value, then turnover, then opportunity score.See all →
🔒Tailored diligence questions
7 specific questions generated from this company's actual signals — liquidity, leverage, director age, charge count, red flags, age-of-company.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →🔒Advanced scoring suite
Exit-route ranking, improvement thesis, quiet-distress detector, covenant-pressure proxy, extraction monitor, approaching triggers, ownership drift, local cluster, value trap, debt capacity, archetype classification — 48+ scoring modules.
Available from the Pro tier upwards.
See pricing →Company details
Statusactive
Typeltd
Incorporated2014-04-02
Jurisdictionscotland
Primary SIC70229 — Management consultancy activities other than financial management
Registered office
67/4 Dublin Street
Edinburgh
EH3 6NS
Filing status
Accounts
Next due: 2027-01-31
Last made up to: 2025-04-30
Confirmation statement
Next due: 2027-04-16
Last: 2026-04-02
Officers (2 active · 0 resigned)
BEATTIE, Allison Eva, Dr→
Activedirector · ~64y · appointed 2014-04-02
View their other companies + combined net worth →
SIMPSON, Mark, Dr→
Activedirector · ~66y · appointed 2022-01-01
View their other companies + combined net worth →
Click a director name to see their full track record across all companies.
Recent filings (41 total)
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2026-04-06
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2025-10-20
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2025-04-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2024-11-12
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2024-04-03
accounts-with-accounts-type-micro-entity
accounts · AA
2023-10-16
resolution
resolution · RESOLUTIONS
2023-08-16
confirmation-statement-with-updates
confirmation-statement · CS01
2023-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-04-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-04-04
change-person-director-company-with-change-date
officers · CH01
2023-04-04
change-to-a-person-with-significant-control
persons-with-significant-control · PSC04
2023-04-04