Led by legal director of immigration, Rachel Harvey and principal associate, Sian Hoare, this webinar provided a post-Brexit recap, outlined general trends and looked at what is on the horizon for immigration law in 2022. Free movement in the UK for all EU citizens ended on 31 December 2020. As a result, there have been significant changes to the UK immigration rules and it looks likely that further changes are still to come in 2022 ...
This article forms part of our ‘New How: Perspectives’ report: ‘Can real estate help solve the productivity puzzle?. To access this free report, please click on the download link to the right of this page. Traditional bricks and mortar retailers, occupying premises under long leases with upwards only rent reviews, can be forgiven for looking enviously at online retailers and their flexibility and comparatively low overheads ...
BT announced earlier this week that it plans to cut between 40,000 and 55,000 jobs by 2030. It expects around 10,000 of these roles to be replaced by AI, particularly in customer services. BT’s recent announcement is a reminder that increased use of AI is now a key board agenda item, with businesses exploring whether they can increase efficiency and improve operations by investing in generative AI ...
Rishi Sunak has announced the much-awaited budget for 2021 hailing protection for the “jobs and livelihoods of the British people”. We outline below the key elements impacting employers and their wider workforce. Budget 2021: The Employment Implications Rishi Sunak has announced the much-awaited budget for 2021 hailing protection for the “jobs and livelihoods of the British people” ...
With an ingrained focus on community, connectivity and sustainability, the build to rent (BTR) sector is helping to transform modern living habits in the UK. With the total number of BTR homes completed, under construction or in planning at Q2 2022 up 13% from 2021 to 237,000, and with regional cities growing at double the pace of London, the sector has a huge opportunity to act as a flagbearer for the ESG agenda ...
This article forms part of our ‘New How: Perspectives’ report: ‘Can real estate help solve the productivity puzzle?. To access this free report, please click on the download link to the right of this page. One sector that has performed robustly during the pandemic is build-to-rent (BTR), with demand set to continue in the coming years as investors look to this sector to deliver long-term returns. According to a recent report, over £1 ...
Last year a new landmark report was launched by the Chartered Institute of Building (CIOB), aimed at changing the diversity of the people building the critical national infrastructure - as they have not always reflected the diversity of the people and communities who will ultimately use it ...
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 ...
The deadline of the of 6 April is fast approaching for private sector businesses carrying out building control work in England and Wales to register with the Building Safety Regulator (BSR) as registered building control approvers (RBCAs). The move from Approved Inspectors to RBCAs is one of the changes the Building Safety Act 2022 seeks to make to raise competence levels in building control and increase accountability ...
The implementation of the Building Safety Act 2022 (‘the Act’), aimed to reform building safety legislation following the Grenfell Tower fire in 2017, is now well underway. The requirements set out in the Act will affect everyone in the built environment industry, and not just in respect of higher-risk buildings ...
The government has published a consultation on implementing the new building control regime for higher-risk buildings under Part 3 of the Building Safety Act 2022. The consultation predominantly focuses on the changes that will be made to the building regulations to implement the new building safety reforms ...
The Building Safety Bill was finally introduced into Parliament on 30 June 2021 with the aim of delivering fundamental reform to the building safety system. The Bill’s progress through Parliament will be closely monitored as the construction industry looks to prepare for the potentially wide-ranging impact of this complex piece of legislation. The Bill was published in draft form in 2020 to enable pre-legislative scrutiny ...
The Charity Commission focuses on charities meeting “public expectation”, but they also need to remain true to their stated purpose, even when doing so may prove controversial. A report on our colonial past The National Trust has acted in accordance with its charitable objects. This shouldn’t be headline news, but it has been for the last six months ...
On 10 March 2022, the Cabinet Office published the long-awaited draft Terms of Reference for the UK COVID-19 Inquiry.1 In this article we consider the implications for businesses impacted by the pandemic and how they may wish to get involved in the Terms’ finalisation. Terms of Reference are critical to a public inquiry as they define its scope and purpose ...
Joseph Raczynski joins Paul Caddy to discuss horizon-gazing and what the future might hold. Joseph is a leading technologist and futurist. He speaks globally on subjects like blockchain, artificial intelligence, cryptocurrency, the Metaverse, NFTs and cybersecurity. Joseph hosts Technology Snippets Today a video podcast series which explores cutting edge technology and innovation ...
Vikas Shah MBE chats to Adam Wagner on the rule of law. Susanna Reid from ITV’s Good Morning Britain calls him “the barrister who kept the legal receipts”. Put simply, Adam knows more about the Covid regulations which upended our lives from March 2020 onwards than arguably anyone else in the country ...
The Supreme Court has handed down its much anticipated decision relating to the coverage of business interruption insurance claims made following the COVID-19 pandemic. A key question was whether the Supreme Court ruling would finally provide the clarity that the expedited test case sought to achieve for both policyholders and insurers. The good news for all is that the Supreme Court has indeed provided much more clarity in relation to most issues ...
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 ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series. The opening webinar, ‘Business Transition to a Net Zero and Resilient World’ took place on Thursday, 1 July 2021 during London Climate Action Week. The webinar saw government representatives, experts and business leaders discuss their vision of a net zero, climate resilient world, and the actions they are taking to get there ...
Despite the risk of ‘greenwashing’ and some calls for business to row back from ‘non-essential’ commitments to focus on the bottom line of shareholder return, surely on a small planet of limited and dwindling resources which is getting ever hotter, a focus on ESG remains the general direction of travel, and Planet and People continue to count, not just Profit ...
A breakdown of the ICO’s recent guidance on how to comply with the UK’s data protection regime when making live marketing calls. The ambiguous lyrics from this popular song have left me confused ...
As the financial services sector has developed and adopted technology, there has been a significant growth in Deferred Payment Credit, more commonly referred to as ‘Buy Now, Pay Later’ (“BNPL”) by consumers. Demonstrating the scale of growth, news outlets have recently reported that over £10 billion has been lent to consumers by BNPL companies in the last three years ...
With the next August public holiday on the horizon, we look at what can be a complicated area in calculating bank holiday entitlement for individuals who work part-time and/or on compressed hours. Under the Working Time Directive (WTD), which is now retained EU law, a worker has the right to a minimum of 4 weeks’ annual leave (or 20 days for a full-time worker). The Working Time Regulations 1998 (WTR), which implement the WTD into UK law, provide an additional 1 ...
Since receiving Royal Assent on 28 April 2022, the Building Safety Act 2022 (BSA) has continued to lumber along - coming into effect in phases and throwing up legal complications as it goes. The government has therefore been required to create secondary legislation – regulations - to seek to clarify and untangle various provisions in the BSA. The Act is reliant on regulations to provide the detail of many of its provisions ...
On 15 June 2023, three groups namely the Centre for Progressive Policy (CPP), Pregnant Then Screwed (PTS) and Women in Data, published their collaborative report on the social and economic impact associated with extended paternity leave and pay. Currently in the UK, the statutory entitlement to paternity leave is capped at two weeks, with the weekly rate for paternity pay amounting to the lower of £172.48 per week or 90% of average weekly earnings ...
