The Supreme Court on 10 May 2023 considered whether damage caused by an oil spill in 2011 could constitute a “continuing nuisance” – and so extend the limitation period for a claim ...
The recent sanction judgment gives important guidance on the way in which the court's discretion should be exercised when sanctioning a restructuring plan and considers whether it is necessary for opposing parties to provide valuation evidence of their own ...
We look at what employers should consider when dealing with a data subject access request ('DSAR') made when tribunal proceedings are involved. The obligations to comply with a DSAR and disclosure in litigation are governed by two distinct processes. DSARs As part of their privacy rights an employee has the right to request from their employer a copy of their personal data, through making a DSAR ...
On the 10 May 2023, the FCA published its findings from its review into firms’ approaches to fair value assessments under the new Consumer Duty. In conducting its review, the FCA’s objective was to understand how firms in different sectors are implementing the price and value requirements, in a bid to ensure that the internal supervisory and regulatory approaches within the FCA reflect industry thinking ...
In its recent judgement in Re Avanti Communications Ltd [2023] EWHC 940 (Ch) ('Avanti') the High Court decided that in some circumstances a charge can take effect as a fixed charge despite the chargor having some flexibility to dispose of assets without the consent of the charge holder. Background A charge expressed to be a fixed charge may be at risk of being re-characterised by a court as a floating charge if the charge holder fails to exercise sufficient control over the assets ...
While the unusual circumstances in the Tate Gallery case attracted plenty of press coverage for its consideration of nuisance in terms of overlooking, it is still business as usual for developers where rights of light are concerned ...
The rise in the cost of living remains a key societal concern and thus an issue for government. The purpose of the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is to promote competitive markets and tackle unfair practices. On 15 May 2023 the CMA issued the report ‘Action to help contain cost of living pressures’. Regarding groceries, the report identifies that food inflation in the UK was 19.1% in March 2023, compared to general inflation at 10.1% ...
On 10 May 2023, the government announced its proposals for reforming employment law post-Brexit in its policy paper, Smarter Regulation to Grow the Economy, the main headline of which was the decision to reverse the sunset date from the Brexit Bill. The new policy paper sets out the first series of reforms in the government’s vision for a post-Brexit world and in particular focuses on how current EU derived regulations can be improved to reduce burdens on businesses ...
On 24 April the Pensions Regulator (TPR) published new guidance (Guidance) on the practical steps trustees should take to manage risk when using leveraged liability driven investments (LDI). The guidance replaces previous guidance issued by TPR in October and November 2022 in the immediate wake of the LDI liquidity crisis. Background On 23 September the Government announced its ‘Growth Plan 2022’ ...
We hear so much about the rights of working families, but what about those who do not have children? Should employees without children be entitled to an equivalent form of ‘parental’ leave? We consider this question and how such leave could be managed. What is the position for parents? Parental leave is a form of statutory leave that allows working parents the right to take unpaid time off work to look after a child or make arrangements for their welfare ...
As highlighted in our previous article, the Infected Blood Inquiry’s first interim report established considerable liabilities in relatively short order, recommending that £100,000 be paid “without delay” to victims and partners bereaved by infections transmitted by blood transfusions and blood products. Sir Brian Langstaff, former High Court judge and current Chair of the Infected Blood Inquiry, released his second interim report on 5 April 2023 ...
Although NFTs have existed for a number of years, and have changed the world of merchandise and art, it is worth considering how intellectual property (IP) rights interplay with this asset class. This article considers NFTs in their component parts with a view to understanding how IP law, and specifically the areas of copyright and trade marks, apply. What is an NFT? An NFT stands for non-fungible token and is a digital asset with a unique digital identifier, recorded on a blockchain ...
For those experiencing infertility, the impact on their mental and emotional well-being can be extremely detrimental. This week is Mental Health Awareness Week and we consider what employers can do to provide additional support. Recent years have seen an increased focus on mental health and well-being within the workplace - particularly following the COVID-19 pandemic ...
The government is pushing ahead with the establishment of a Responsible Actors Scheme (RAS) provided for under s.126 and 129 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The Scheme is initially aimed at major housebuilders and other large developers that have developed or refurbished multiple residential buildings that are known to have life-critical fire safety defects ...
The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill ('Bill') has now landed. Its aim is to protect against consumer harms that have materialised following the digital transformation of how we buy goods, services and digital content. What does this mean for consumer protection law? Subscriptions Why? The Competition and Markets Authority (‘CMA’) estimates that consumers spend £1.6 billion a year on subscriptions they do not want [1] ...
After just over a week of waiting, the Government yesterday confirmed that the plan to throw some 4,800 pieces of Retained EU Legislation (“REUL”) onto the bonfire at the end of this year has now been scaled back. Instead we will only lose in the region of 500-600 pieces of legislation, with all remaining REUL becoming English Law ...
Many financing options that we used to consider “alternative” are now commonplace. This article explains in basic terms what some of the alternatives to traditional bank loans are, who they’re used by and why they’ve increased in popularity ...
At a recent event, Karen Kirkham (chair of JCT) and Sean Smylie (vice chair of the JCT) outlined the eagerly anticipated changes to the JCT suite of contracts. Speaking to members of the SCL in Birmingham, it was confirmed that the next edition is likely to be called JCT 2024 and is anticipated to be issued in the early part of next year ...
The Home Office recently updated the ‘reporting duties’ section of its guidance for sponsor licence holders. In particular, the Home Office has added new detail to the ‘change of work location’ section and clarified (to some extent) when a report needs to be made where a sponsored worker undertakes their work either remotely or through a hybrid working pattern ...
Recently published government guidance on reporting ethnicity pay data will assist those employers who voluntarily choose to report their data. We highlight the key messages from the guidance and the challenges employers need to address when reporting. It is a statutory requirement for employers with 250 or more employees to measure and report gender pay gaps ...
The new framework for assessing non-domestic property rateable values has been set out under the draft Non-Domestic Rating Bill, introduced to Parliament on 23 March 2023 – but only likely to take effect on or after 1 April 2024. As business rates policy is fully devolved, not all of these measures will apply in Wales. The more regular revaluations should keep rateable values closer to market reality ...
The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is a UK independent agency established by legislation that ‘must seek to promote competition…for the benefit of consumers’. To do so the CMA may carry out research. The CMA announced on 4 May 2023 it is opening an initial review of competition and consumer protection considerations in the development and use of AI foundation models ...
Employee Ownership Trusts (EOTs) are increasing in popularity with many entrepreneurs and business owners now looking at this alternative structure of exit. EOTs were introduced through the Finance Act of 2014 to encourage founders and other shareholders to pass ownership of their company on for the benefit of its employees. The John Lewis Partnership, a long-established brand, is well recognised for employee engagement, however EOTs were relatively slow to take off in the UK ...
We highlight the most significant employment law cases since January 2023 and the lessons that employers should take from them. Without prejudice correspondence It is common for employers to use ‘without prejudice’ correspondence when negotiating with an employee on the termination of their employment ...
The Pensions Regulator's General Code could be published any day now, but what is it, and why has it been so delayed? Back in March Charles Counsell, then CEO of the Pensions Regulator (TPR) confirmed in an interview with Pensions Age Magazine that the long anticipated consolidated code of practice would be published in the spring, under the new title of the “General Code” ...
