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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
Eleanor Howells

Farley v Paymaster: A Turning Point in UK Data Protection Litigation

The Court of Appeal’s recent decision in Farley v Paymaster (1836) Ltd (t/a Equiniti) [2025] EWCA Civ 1117 (“Farley”) represents...

30/09/25
Joanne Moseley

Employment law: news in brief – September 2025

Rising costs and Employment Rights Bill threaten jobs and growth UK businesses have said they're worried about rising costs and new...

29/09/25
Joanne Moseley

Do you need to know if your staff have more than one job?

Earlier this summer, a public sector worker was found guilty of fraud after moonlighting in four separate jobs at multiple councils. By...

29/09/25
Joanne Moseley

Does menstrual pain amount to a disability?

Over the past few years there have been a number of well publicised cases where tribunals have found that women with severe menopausal...

29/09/25
Doug Robertson

UK Construction Insolvency Rates Remain High in 2025

Despite a modest improvement from 2024, the UK construction sector remains under significant financial pressure in 2025, with insolvency...

24/09/25
Joanne Moseley

Sexual harassment: how do you fairly decide what happened in a he said/she said scenario?

Last year the law changed and put employers under a positive duty to prevent sexual harassment. Many employers ramped up their policies...

24/09/25
Katie Gledhill

UK government responds to calls for better parental leave policies

A few months ago we explained that the Women and Equalities Committee (WEC) had published a report which said that the parental leave...

24/09/25
Katie Gledhill

Helping parents through neonatal challenges: a guide for employers

The introduction of Neonatal Care Leave and Pay from 6 April 2025 marked a significant development in employment law, offering vital...

23/09/25
Devlin Freeburn

Trump and the H1-B Visa: The Potential Impact on UK Immigration

On 19 September 2025, US President Donald Trump announced a major change to the application process for skilled foreign workers in the...

23/09/25
Anna Tranter

Planning clarity for Green Belt development: takeaways from Mole Valley v Secretary of State & Meloney

A recent case has reaffirmed planning law principles in relation to Green Belt development policy and site deliverability. On 15 August...

18/09/25
Chyna Fairclough-Jones

Planning permission quashed after failure to publish Section 106 agreement

The courts are increasingly scrutinising failures to publish draft Section 106 agreements prior to the grant of planning permission,...

17/09/25
Henry Thompson

The pharmaceutical sector’s difficult week

Last week proved to be a politically turbulent week, and, whilst it wasn’t the biggest story of the week, the pharmaceutical sector was...

15/09/25
Stuart Crippin

Strengthening UK–Middle East Connections

I’m only a couple of months into my role as Head of Irwin Mitchell’s Middle East Desk, but the opportunities ahead in this dynamic and...

12/09/25
Rachel Piper

Equity of Exoneration and Joint Liability: Insights from Armstrong & Anor v Harrow [2025] EWHC 1790 (Ch)

On 18 July 2025, ICC Judge Mullen handed down judgment in Armstrong & Anor v Harrow [2025] EWHC 1790 (Ch) denying Mrs Harrow’s claim for...

11/09/25