Recent Posts

Brexit and the Food and Drink Industry
In a dramatic intervention on 7th August 2019, the UK Food and Drink Federation (FDF) has called (and not for the first time) for waivers...
08/08/19
Brexit and the Creative Industries
As the UK gets closer to the Brexit door (currently scheduled to be reached on 31st October 2019 at 11pm (UK time)), various industry...
07/08/19
Brexit and Free Ports
In early August 2019, the UK Government announced that it is planning to create up to 10 "free ports", around seaports and airports,...
07/08/19
Breaking: Court of Appeal rule that employers can't pro-rate holiday of term time only workers
The Court of Appeal has today handed down an important decision that will affect all workers on permanent contracts who only work part of...
07/08/19
Brexit and the Fixed-Term Parliaments Act 2011
The tussle between the Remainers who want a People's Vote and the Brexiteers who are not prepared to contemplate any further blockage...
06/08/19/Passle/55fad6bcb00e7e097cd579a6/SearchServiceImages/2019-08-05-08-10-53-097-5d47e48d8cb6230340aa9692.jpg)
Workplace Mental Health: The Case For A Proactive Approach
As mental health conditions take over from back pain as the main source of work-related illness, we know the importance of the emotional...
05/08/19
Brexit and accelerating UK preparations for a "no deal"
The last week of July 2019 saw the publication of reports by the Institute for Government think tank (IfG) and the Confederation of...
05/08/19
Tales from the Planning Court: a very quick round-up of some recent case law
Are you sitting comfortably? Good, then I'll begin... After the whirlwind of events that lead to my last blog post, this week I have...
05/08/19
Is there a housing crisis?
Architect and TV presenter George Clarke broadcast a brilliant programme earlier this week on Channel 4 ("George Clarke's council house...
02/08/19
Junior doctors may be entitled to millions of pounds back pay because 'faulty' software incorrectly recorded their working hours
A decision of the Court of Appeal handed down this week will have widespread repercussions for many NHS Trusts who may owe junior doctors...
01/08/19
Brexit and using the Courts to challenge a "no -deal" - related prorogation of the UK Parliament
On 22nd July 2019, solicitors representing a cross- party group of Westminster MPs and others wrote to the Lord Advocate General of...
31/07/19
Autistic job seeker with 'hidden disability' awarded £18,400 compensation
The National Autistic Society estimates that 700,000 people are living with autism in the UK – more than one in every 100 of the...
31/07/19
Adjudication: ‘the good can and should be severed from the bad’
A dispute over the late completion of a hotel in Shoreditch has resulted in another significant judgment on the status of adjudication....
29/07/19
IR35: All change for businesses and freelance workers
This article, by our tax experts Sarah Cardew and Anamika Pandey, first appeared in Estates Gazette. The IR35 regime applies to...
29/07/19
Government report shows gender pay gaps are narrowing but still favour men
The Government Equalities Office has published a summary of reported data for 2018/19 which indicates that there have been some...
26/07/19
Blooming Marvel-ous: a recap of a highly eventful week in the world of planning.
Well. That was quite the rollercoaster. Having just about caught my breath, this post is an attempt to recap all of the important events...
26/07/19
A retailer's guide to leases
In a series of 3 articles which first appeared in Estates Gazette, Guy Whitehead takes a closer look at leases from the perspective of a...
25/07/19
Casual staff: are new rights on the cards?
The government has launched a consultation on 'one sided flexibility' following recommendations made in the Taylor Review and by the Low...
25/07/19
Living your values, and the consequences of ignoring them
When staff at Wayfair, the online furniture retailer, walked out because they discovered that the company had sold furniture to detention...
18/07/19
Will employers be compelled to advertise all jobs as flexible?
This week, MP Helen Whately introduced a bill which, if approved by Parliament, will make flexible working the norm and mean that...
18/07/19
Employer not liable for racist Facebook picture circulated by a member of staff
Employers are vicariously liable for the actions of their staff if these take place in the 'course of their employment'. That doesn't...
18/07/19
Brexit and Financial Services - an update on preparations for a "no-deal" Brexit
On 16th July 2019, AFME (the Association for Financial Markets in Europe) published a short briefing update on preparations for a...
17/07/19
Government consults on new sick pay scheme that could benefit two million low paid workers
The government has launched a public consultation on a range of measures to reduce ill health-related job losses. Proposals include:...
16/07/19
Brexit and Northern Ireland - new statistics on the consequences of a "no deal"
On 10th July 2019, the Northern Ireland Department for the Economy published a report entitled "Northern Ireland trade and investment...
16/07/19
A Plague On Both Your Houses: Research Shows that Public Trust in the Planning System is 'almost non-existent'
Last week, Grosvenor Britain & Ireland published a report which is a damning indictment on us all. Their research demonstrated that...
16/07/19
Brexit and an issue of Parliamentary sovereignty - can the Courts block a prorogation of Parliament?
In pursuit of a Brexit at 11pm UK time on 31st October 2019 ("exit day") come what may (or "do or die" as he is reported to have said),...
15/07/19
Solar Panels: The materiality of climate change can cast a long shadow over development proposals
In a typical application of Murphy's Law, my recent holiday coincided with a very busy two weeks in the world of planning. In particular,...
12/07/19
Brexit and getting closer to Switzerland
As Brexit "exit day" appears to get closer (currently, 11pm UK time on 31st October 2019), the UK is ramping up its efforts to conclude...
11/07/19
Planning for the worst
I was sorry to hear the recent news of the liquidation of the sandwich maker, Good Food Chain (GFC), following an outbreak of listeria...
10/07/19
Brexit and Japan
In an interview with the BBC in Tokyo on 27th June 2019, Japanese Foreign Minister Taro Kono warned against the perils of a "no deal"...
09/07/19