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Posts from October 2025

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Alexandra Addington

What's the best way to manage conflict between colleagues in schools and colleges?

Conflict between staff is not uncommon. Whether it's a clash of personalities, differing professional values, or the pressure of work,...

28/10/25
Lorraine Rose-Dugdale

Signage and Prescriptive Rights of Way

The cases of Nicholson & Anor v Hale & Anor and Sagier v Kaur explore the legal effectiveness of signage in preventing the acquisition of...

27/10/25
Katie Gledhill

Employment Rights Bill: Government publishes consultations

The government has launched a series of consultations to gather feedback on how certain aspects of the Employment Rights Bill should...

23/10/25
Ewan Collett

Indefinite Leave under threat: Reform UK’s radical immigration proposals

Since its inception, the Reform UK political party, led by Nigel Farage, has not been discrete about their nationalism and...

22/10/25
Claire Petricca-Riding

CG Fry & Son Limited v Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government & Somerset Council ([2025] UKSC 35)

This case concerns a proposed large-scale residential development near Wellington, Somerset, within the catchment of the Somerset Levels...

22/10/25
Alexandra Addington

Rules on severance payments in FE colleges have changed

After much speculation, it has today - 22 October 2025 - been confirmed that the rules have changed regarding when Further Education (FE)...

22/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Employment law: news in brief – October 2025

Matthew Taylor appointed Chair of Fair Work Agency Matthew Taylor CBE has been named the inaugural Chair of the UK’s newly established...

22/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Night work, rest periods and multiple employers

In Ogumodede v Churchill Contract Services, a tribunal had to decide if an employer had lawfully dismissed an employee it had acquired...

22/10/25
Alexandra Addington

Is it fair to dismiss an employee involved in an altercation that took place outside of work?

When incidents occur outside the workplace, employers may find it challenging to determine if they can take disciplinary action - or even...

22/10/25
Nick Gore

The UK’s Global Talent route for researchers and academics

With the USA imposing huge fees for companies employing skilled foreign workers, the UK is attracting attention as a viable alternative...

20/10/25
Alexandra Addington

Reasonable adjustments and neurodiversity: how one employer got it right

Supporting neurodivergent employees is both a legal duty under the Equality Act 2010 and a cornerstone of inclusive workplace culture,...

17/10/25
Alexandra Addington

Does your onboarding process discriminate against neurodivergent employees?

Employers are legally required to make reasonable adjustments to prevent disadvantage caused by an employee's disability in the...

17/10/25
Anna Tranter

Key Planning Law Changes in the latest amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill

A raft of 67 new amendments to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill (“PIB”) was tabled earlier this week by the Minister for Housing,...

17/10/25
Stuart Crippin

Unlocking opportunity in Saudi Arabia

As we prepare for our upcoming visit to Riyadh and Jeddah, it’s clear that Saudi Arabia is entering a transformative phase—one that...

17/10/25
Anna Tranter

Builds, Bills and bills: Planning & Environment Updates from the Labour Party Conference

The Labour Party Conference, held 28 September to 1 October in Liverpool, saw a number of announcements made impacting the housing,...

14/10/25
Chyna Fairclough-Jones

Planning Court clarifies interpretation of Section 55(2)(a) TCPA 1990 and the resolution of ambiguities in prior approval cases

In Dharmeshkumar v Secretary of State for Levelling Up Housing and Communities and another [2025] EWHC 25123 (Admin), the Planning Court...

13/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Education sector: news in brief – October 2025

Local Authorities face mounting deficits over SEN provision A new report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) has revealed that...

13/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Faith and fairness: did a church school’s admittance criteria discriminate against non-white Christians?

In R (on the application of CKT and DGT, by his mother and litigation friend CKT) v Twyford Church of England Academies Trust and another...

13/10/25
Eniko Vella

NICs rise has added pressure to the UK construction sector

The recent hike in April 2025 to National Insurance Contributions (NICs) is sending ripples through the UK construction sector,...

13/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Solving the SEND crisis: what can schools and colleges learn from the latest House of Commons Education Committee report?

On 18 September 2025 – after nine months of inquiry, 890 pieces of written evidence and seven oral hearing sessions – the House of...

13/10/25
Daniel Moreton

Seven tips to help schools and colleges manage parental disputes about their child's education

Parental disputes about school choice can place schools and colleges in a challenging position, especially when separated parents cannot...

13/10/25
Katie Gledhill

Understanding Ofsted’s reforms: what schools and colleges need to know

Ofsted has unveiled a set of reforms to its inspection framework which will change how inspections are conducted, reported, and...

09/10/25
Jane Anderson

Financial Conduct Authority’s Redress Scheme: Strengthening Consumer Protection in the UK Motor Finance Market

On 7 October 2025 the Financial Conduct Authority (“FCA”) published its proposed redress scheme (“the Redress Scheme”) to tackle unfair...

08/10/25
Jane Anderson

Mitigation of Loss: Key Lessons from the Medpro Decision for Claimants

Personal Protective Equipment (“PPE”) is specialist clothing worn to protect individuals from health and safety risks in the workplace or...

08/10/25
Alexandra Addington

Severance payments in FE colleges: are the rules changing?

Severance payments in Further Education (FE) colleges are subject to close scrutiny. We have been reliably informed that the rules will...

07/10/25
Robert Tunningley

Rising Materials Costs Deepen Insolvency Risk in UK Construction Sector

The UK construction sector is facing intensifying financial pressure as the latest government data reveals a sustained decline in the...

03/10/25
Claire Petricca-Riding

Irwin Mitchell’s Planning & Environment Blog

Welcome to our monthly blog series from the Planning & Environment team at Irwin Mitchell. Each month, we will be bringing together the...

03/10/25
Joanne Moseley

Will labour reintroduce ET fees?

Yesterday, the Guardian newsletter published an exclusive article which said that the government is considering charging claimants a fee...

02/10/25
Sadiah Geloo

Failure to publish background papers leads to quashing of planning permission

The recent ruling of the High Court on R (Wild Justice) v Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority [2025] EWHC 2249 (Admin) (available...

01/10/25
Stefano DAmbrosio Nunez

Flood risk PPG update: Sequential test clarified

Just like water, planning regulations and policy rarely stand still, and the September 2025 update to the Planning Practice Guidance on...

01/10/25