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Fund supermarket bosses forgo bonus because of Neil Woodford fiasco

The boss of funds supermarket Hargreaves Lansdown says his management team will lose their bonus because of the Neil Woodford fiasco.

Chief executive Chris Hill made a fresh plea for Woodford to drop management fees for the fund which was suspended after a rush of investors tried to sell up.

Hargreaves has waived fees on its platform where clients directly held the frozen Woodford fund, which is costing the group £360,000 a month in lost revenue.

Announcing full-year results, Hill said Hargreaves Lansdown shared client "disappointment and frustration" over the Woodford saga.

Hill and chief financial officer Philip Johnson will give up their 2019 bonuses, having only previously said they would not take them while the fund was suspended.

Hill said: "I am determined that we learn from events such as these. I have apologised to all clients who have been impacted by the recent problems because we all share their disappointment and frustration.

"In these difficult times we recognise the financial and personal impact the gating of the fund has had on them. Philip (Johnson) and I, together with the unanimous support of the board, have therefore decided that we will not take a bonus award for 2019."

The comments came as Hargreaves Lansdown reported a 5% rise in pre-tax profits to £305.8 million for the year to June 30.

It saw total assets under administration grow 8% to £99.3 billion, but net new business inflows fell 4% to £7.3 billion amid shaky investor confidence in the face of Brexit uncertainty.

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