• 30.04.2026

Exclusive: New documents claim Big Help’s bosses owe over £17mn

The Post can reveal the debts Peter Mitchell and Colette Goulding ran up while managing their charity empire

Dear readers — The Post has obtained documents revealing the extent of the money owed by two Big Help bosses, one of whom remains a sitting Liverpool Labour councillor.

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A whistleblower has passed us skeleton arguments prepared for a bankruptcy hearing in 2025. These show that former Big Help bosses Peter Mitchell and Colette Goulding are alleged to owe over £17mn to a London property fund.

Last May, the pair were declared personally bankrupt, following two years of reporting by The Post and the collapse of several of their companies and charities. However, in just two weeks’ time, those bankruptcy orders are due to expire.

The extent of the liability incurred by Mitchell and Goulding is far greater than many would have expected, although it seems highly unlikely much — if any of the debt — will be repaid. “It’s quite clear now that councillor Goulding and the Labour Party have no shame,” says Carl Cashman, leader of the Lib Dems in Liverpool. He has been instrumental in the campaign to remove Goulding from her seat since allegations around her conduct at Big Help were published by The Post in 2024.

We approached Liverpool Labour about today’s story and asked them if Goulding's position remains tenable. They did not respond.

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