Choice of 4 umbrella companies which one????

[NotAllThere]

You completely missed my point, I wasn't arguing on financials. My point was that if you are on the bench for 6 months and paying an accountant £140 per month for doing f*** all, ...

You're not paying an accountant £140 a month. You're paying him £1680 a year - he just allows you to pay it monthly for his and your convenience.

If you're really concerned about paying the accountant when you're not working, then find one who'll charge you on a time and materials basis.