Recent Posts

CIL: Retrospective Permission Trap Highlighted by VOA Appeal
Since June 2013, the Valuation Office Agency has been publishing redacted versions of CIL Appeal letters. On 17 November 2015, an appeal...
20/11/15
DLCG Launches Independent Review of Community Infrastructure Levy
DCLG has just released the terms of reference for a strategic review of CIL by an independent panel. The panel will be led by former...
19/11/15
When failure to comply with collective redundancy obligations can be a criminal offence
Whilst ultimately the ex-directors at City Link were acquitted, these proceedings serve as a useful reminder of the importance of...
19/11/15
"The haters gonna hate, hate, hate..."
Excuse me borrowing from you, Taylor, but you'd have thought that we'd had enough of hate and fear. But no. Recent events in Paris have...
19/11/15
Gender Pay Gap Narrowing (but it's bad news!)
One of the reasons for the gender pay gap closing is because of men's declining wages. Can it really be men deciding to pay women less...
18/11/15
Race Discrimination Still Prevalent
The Race Relations Act was passed 40 years ago. It outlawed discrimination based on race and nationality. Two generations or more of...
18/11/15
So, you're not a 'people person'. We've got just the job for you...
If you don't enjoy social interaction and your idea of hell is an office Christmas party, here is a list of jobs that might just suit you...
18/11/15
I really, really, really hate jargon.
Honestly, I just don't understand why people don't say someone died but they 'passed on'. You're not a plumber, you are in the water...
18/11/15
Living Wage to increase productivity (ahem!)
The claim among more than half of employers is that the Living Wage will result in increased productivity. Whether this means getting...
18/11/15
590 People Die because of Welfare Reforms
Perhaps it is time for Iain Duncan-Smith to revisit his welfare reforms, which seem to have resulted in 590 suicides and 279,000 cases of...
17/11/15
House prices are STILL on the rise...
The Office of National Statistics has today released new figures, making it official : house prices are still going up. The number of...
17/11/15
Uber, employment status and the commencement of litigation on English shores
As expected, proceedings have now been brought against the notorious taxi hailing firm, Uber in England in an attempt to determine...
17/11/15
Rising House Prices in the South East
The latest from the Estates Gazette signals increasing prices and demand for housing in the South East, which is good news for the...
16/11/15
Manchester, Leeds, South Oxfordshire, Reigate and Banstead... where development is forecast to rise...
Taking into account economic forecasts, expectations of job growth, housing supply & demand and the local authorities' planning policies,...
16/11/15
Cash, value and climate change
A rise in sea levels? It's ok, I live on a hill. Melting glaciers? Great, the northwest passage will be passable. Increases in...
13/11/15
Punks Part 2!
No sooner do I comment on the FCA addressing the CML about the needs of older borrowers than the Building Societies Association publish a...
13/11/15
First Jose, now Clarkson!
Not that we needed it but here is another timely reminder that an individual can be sued in a personal capacity by a colleague for...
13/11/15
The Bank of England warning about robots.
Production lines are already highly automated and the next step will be administrative, clerical and production jobs. Repetitive tasks...
13/11/15
Should employers rely on bonuses to incentivise staff?
We all know that bonus and other performance related incentives are one way to incentivise staff (alongside other matters such as career...
12/11/15
To EU or not EU?
Today we've seen David Cameron's four objectives for change mocked as "thin gruel" whilst recognised by some EU counterparts as "largely...
12/11/15
When is "banter" discriminatory?
To pass any homophobic or racist comments off as banter seems completely out of touch with most people's views of such behaviour. But...
12/11/15
Government Figures show 25% Increase in New Build Housing
DCLG has today released figures demonstrating that the number of new homes in the UK has risen by 25% over the last 12 months. The...
12/11/15
Employees and crime. Between a rock and a hard place?
Football tends to operate by different rules to the rest of the business world. The level of pay, the fines, the lengthy fixed term...
12/11/15
Part-time workers, holiday pay and changing hours; the nightmare continues
Actually, this most recent case is a helpful guide for what to do when a part-time employee increases their hours part way through the...
12/11/15
Racial profiling and social media; a toxic mix for a global brand
Racial profiling is suspecting a person of certain behaviour based on stereotypes about their race, for example, bodily searching devout...
12/11/15
Mortgage Loans and the ageing of the Punk Generation
The Punk Generation were recently described in the financial press as entering the "last time buyer" stage of their lives. Now the FCA,...
11/11/15
Proposals to extend HMO licensing could hit student housing
The Government has published a technical discussion document intending to extend the scope of mandatory HMO licensing. At the moment, if...
11/11/15
3m people spend 2 hours commuting; is there a way to do it happily?
Well, like most things, it all depends. On the mode of transport, whether you get a seat, and most importantly your state of mind. ...
11/11/15
Racial harassment in the workplace is still today's problem
One of the aspects I love about my job as an employment lawyer is the variety each day brings. Every time I think I have finally seen...
11/11/15
Be consistent unless conduct is different
The recent EAT decision in MBNA Limited v Jones highlights the importance of consistency of treatment when dealing with disciplinaries,...
11/11/15