Technological advancements coupled with a desire to reduce inefficiencies in the workplace, has led to an increase in the use of artificial intelligence (AI) by employers, typically in recruitment and performance management. Data protection considerations However, employers need to be aware of their data protection obligations and great care is needed when contemplating the use of AI processes to make decisions without human involvement ...
Do you have a unionised workforce? If so, the Kostal (Kostal UK Ltd v Dunkley and others [2021] UKSC 47 (27 October 2021)) decision is a must read. If you are an employer which recognises a union - or unions - then the Kostal decision is unlikely to have escaped your notice. The case was brought because an employer ‘went around’ the recognised union and made a pay offer direct to employees despite there being an agreement with the union in place ...
There is no doubt that the pandemic catapulted society and businesses into a new and different world, which saw old working practices replaced by new and which advanced the adoption of new technology at a rapid pace. However, one thing didn’t change at law firm Shoosmiths, and that was how Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) considerations still firmly lay at the heart of the business strategy ...
With the COP26 climate summit taking place in Glasgow this week, we thought it would be timely to look at the practical challenges facing businesses wishing to reduce their emissions and become sustainable in alignment with the government’s net zero strategy. Setting targets is crucial for companies with complexity across sectors, technologies and business structures ...
The lack of detail in the Budget speech on investment in renewable energy (nothing on hydrogen for example) was disappointing, and surprising to many given the timing of the Autumn Budget with COP26. However, the Comprehensive Spending Review did give a bit more detail. Whether it goes far enough or fast enough to meet ambitious targets is still up for debate ...
The recent decision to quash planning permission for a major urban extension in Canterbury has raised a number of concerns highlighted by the Government in its recent planning White Paper, namely the lack of certainty over delivery, with some 36% of planning decisions relating to major applications overturned, as well as inefficiency and that such decisions simply lead to not enough homes being built ...
Josh Cavallo has demonstrated enormous bravery by becoming the only current male professional footballer to come out as gay. We consider how employers can foster a workplace environment that is supportive of LGBTQ+ employees who choose to come out. This week Josh Cavallo of Adelaide United showed incredible courage by publicly announcing his sexuality ...
In Rolfe v Veale, the High Court awarded summary judgment against claimants who alleged distress following an inadvertent data breach. Here, Philip Tansley and Matthew MacLachlan consider the court's reasoning and the broader implications for such claims ...
With COP26 now upon us, all eyes are on Glasgow! As we continue to explore the various routes to net zero, there is no doubt that the Scottish Government's recently published "Heat in Buildings Strategy" will have a key play to role to play. Never in recent history has there been so much focus on how we use space that was once the reserve of our personal and family lives for working…but also on how our homes work for us ...
At the recent Scotland Development Conference hosted by Built Environment Networking, major residential developers and housebuilders, social housing providers and leadership from the housing sector joined a panel discussion to share details of the biggest housing projects currently planned for Scotland and how the sector can ensure a focus on creating community is retained, as well as the push for an increase in the rate, volume and affordability of housebuilding ...
‘A whole new planning system for England’ is what Boris Johnson was promising in his introduction to the Planning White Paper. He also took a sideswipe at the current system for providing “nowhere near enough homes in the right places” ...
Two recent articles in The Times and The Sunday Times highlighted the attractiveness of the affordable housing sector to investors keen to promote their ESG credentials. During the pandemic, ESG has gone from being a niche term used mainly by private equity funds and their investors to being a mainstream term used across a range of sectors and industries ...
As with other parts of the UK, the last 18 months have seen a period of exceptional market activity in the living sector in Northern Ireland, despite the economic challenges of Covid. Much of that activity has in fact been driven by the societal challenges and behavioural shifts brought about by the pandemic ...
Earlier this month, The Institute for Policy and Engagement at the University of Nottingham ran an in-depth virtual conference discussing the need for action on the issues surrounding predatory marriage. Speakers included Daphne Franks from the Justice for Joan campaign. Daphne’s mother Joan was married by a predator some years her junior without her family’s knowledge while suffering with dementia and despite Daphne having been appointed as her attorney ...
The home of Robin Hood, Lord Byron and Boots, Nottingham is a city with a rich history and cultural heritage. It is also ambitious, forward looking and has a bright future. With a plan to become the UK's first carbon neutral city, it also has a unique opportunity to reimagine large swathes of the city with the following developments ...
Further guidance for insurers and policyholders on business interruption claims is now available following an award made by Lord Mance in Certain Policyholders v China Taiping Insurance (UK) Co Ltd. Whilst the arbitration award will not be binding on the courts, it will no doubt prove persuasive and represents a victory for insurers, with Lord Mance finding no coverage under the denial of access cause in question ...
In a major change for arbitration in Dubai, the DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre has been abolished. On 14 September 2021, Decree No. 34 of 2021 (Decree No. 34) was issued by Mohammed bin Rashed Al-Maktoom, Ruler of Dubai. It not only dissolves the Dubai International Financial Centre Arbitration Institution (DIFC-LCIA Arbitration Centre), but also the Emirates Maritime Arbitration Centre (EMAC) ...
Marks & Spencer breached a court order to enforce a “keep-open” provision in one of its leases, when it carried on business only in a “half-hearted” manner ...
Freeports are obviously of immediate interest to importers, exporters, and manufacturers, as they allow the import of materials and manufacture or incorporation of those materials into items which are then exported, all without incurring tariffs and with minimal regulation. The government’s stated objectives in establishing Freeports were to establish national hubs for global trade and investment across the UK, promote regeneration and job creation and create hotbeds for innovation ...
The draft bill to implement the government’s ground rent changes finally reached the House of Lords in May 2021. This legislation had been long awaited and, largely, the provisions were as expected following the earlier consultations and government announcements and discussions. Despite the fact that legislation is still only in draft, the living sector is already pivoting in many respects to comply with the legislation ...
The double hangover from the pandemic and Brexit is proving hard to shift for FTSE 100 property companies. In theory, housebuilders’ share prices should reflect the incredible growth in house prices seen over the last 18 months which have risen, in part buoyed by rising consumer confidence, but also due to low mortgage interest rates, low mortgage deposit schemes and the government’s stamp duty holiday ...
There is much scope for charities to work more closely with business for mutual benefit, going beyond the provision of traditional CSR support, in order to address big problems facing all of us. The latest annual survey commissioned by the Charity Commission found that trust in charities had increased: the past 18 months have concentrated attention on how certain national institutions and prominent organisations have responded positively in a time of crisis ...
Predatory or forced marriages faced by individuals (usually elderly) whose mental capacity is in doubt or who are vulnerable to undue influence remain an open wound for many families. As things stand, an unscrupulous individual can engineer a marriage to a vulnerable person, by-passing any possible dispute about a will, meaning the predator gains the entire estate with no legal redress for disappointed beneficiaries or concerned family members ...
There has been much in the media about the impact of the pandemic and the government response on children’s education, but arguably that impact has been magnified for those children and young people with Special Educational Needs and Disabilities (SEND). The Coronavirus Act 2020 The Coronavirus Act 2020 temporarily amended and extended deadlines for certain Local Authority duties towards children with SEND under The Children and Families Act 2014 ...
Whether you are a property professional or otherwise, you would have had to have lived in a hole to have missed the EWS1 saga. In the four years following the tragic Grenfell disaster, the industry and the government have been grappling with how to deal with a generation of potentially defective tall buildings ...
