Recent Posts
                
                
                    Richard Baigent
                
                Is a US-UK Trade Deal on the Horizon?
Along with many others, I watched last week's meeting between President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Keir Starmer with a sense of...
03/03/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                Teacher dismissed for 'safeguarding' concerns: lessons to learn from school who made mistakes at every stage
Schools and colleges obviously need to investigate safeguarding concerns and take appropriate action against staff whose actions or...
03/03/25
                
                
                    Garon Anthony
                
                Business Interruption Insurance – Here We Go Again...
We have commented regularly on the business interruption insurance (“BII”) cases following the COVID-19 pandemic as they have made their...
28/02/25
                
                
                    Paul Henson
                
                Supreme Court clarifies rules on boundary disputes
On 26 February 2025, the UK Supreme Court delivered a significant judgment in the case of Brown v Ridley. This case revolved around the...
27/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                Green Belt, Grey Belt, Brownfield, 30 Month Local Plans and Changes to the CIL Regulations: a quick(ish) round up of very recent events.
Earlier today, MHCLG published several updates to the national planning policy guidance, draft amendments to the CIL Regulations and the...
27/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                High Court rules on time-limits in CIL enforcement cases.
Last Friday, the High Court decided a potentially rather important CIL enforcement case, which deserves some attention. The case is ...
25/02/25
                
                
                    Bryan Bletso
                
                UK streamlines FDI focus to highest-growth markets with India trade mission
The Department for Business & Trade’s (DBT) decision, under the Labour Government, to visit India before the UK’s biggest trading partner...
24/02/25
                
                
                    Vanessa Horn
                
                Reforms to the Energy Performance of Buildings
Stakeholders in the property industry await the outcome of the government’s consultation on reforms to the Energy Performance of...
24/02/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                How many warnings do you need to give an underperforming employee before dismissing them?
What's the best way to deal with an employee who is underperforming? At what point is it fair to say, you've had enough time to improve,...
20/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                More Mayoral CIL: Spatial Development Strategies and the complexity of multiple charging schedules.
Regular readers may have spotted that I do some of my best work in soft play centres. Today is no exception*. For some reason, watching...
20/02/25
                
                
                    Bryan Bletso
                
                UK Cities Shine in European Cities and Regions of the Future 2025
The European Cities and Regions of the Future 2025 report, which was recently published by fDi Intelligence, provides some interesting...
20/02/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                Understanding injury to feeling awards in discrimination claims: helpful guidance from the EAT
If an employee brings a successful discrimination claim against you, how much will they get by way of compensation for their hurt and...
17/02/25
                
                
                    Joanne Moseley
                
                Conflicts of belief in the workplace: five practical tips from Higgs v Farmor's School
The Court of Appeal has handed down its much-anticipated judgment in the case of Higgs v Farmor's School. Although the case is about an...
17/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                MHCLG's Busy Day: New Towns, New Homes, Draft Legislation & First Time Buyers
February 13th is rarely noteworthy. It is a date that tends to be overshadowed by its more famous neighbour*. This year, however, was an...
14/02/25
                
                
                    Gordon Chan
                
                Payment notices are red, payless notices are blue… but it’s the substance within that’s true!
According to King’s College London’s third construction adjudication report published in November 2024, the Technology and Construction...
13/02/25
                
                
                    Andrew Cotton
                
                Stake Ends UK Operations Following Gambling Ad Scandal
Following an investigation by the Gambling Commission (“the Commission”) into a high-profile advertisement that was widely viewed having...
12/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                MHCLG revises NPPF following typographical error highlighted in Grey Belt Appeal Decision
Earlier today, MHCLG quietly revised the December 2024 version of the National Planning Policy Framework. Before you start to panic, the...
07/02/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                Protected disclosures: was moving an employee to a different team a detriment?
Once a worker makes a protected disclosure, they gain certain legal rights irrespective of their length of service. Dismissing an...
05/02/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                What retailers need to know about upcoming employment law changes
The Employment Rights Bill (the ‘Bill’) and the regulations which will follow it, will bring about significant transformation in...
05/02/25
                
                
                    Esther Salter
                
                Do schools and colleges have the funding they need to support SEND pupils?
The UK government has recently announced that it is putting aside £740 million to increase the number of places for pupils with special...
05/02/25
                
                
                    Joanne Moseley
                
                Free speech law back on the cards for HE ... minus some of its teeth
Last year, the new Education Secretary halted the Higher Education (Freedom of Speech) Act 2023 There was some suggestion that the...
04/02/25
                
                
                    Mandeep Khroud
                
                What is the ETA Scheme?
On 23 October 2023, the UK first opened the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) application process for a select few countries and,...
03/02/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                A Whirlwind of a Week: Mead in the Court of Appeal, Infrastructure pledges, a Land Use Framework for England, and some other stuff
Well, this has certainly been a week. January is often a busy old month, but the last seven days have felt a bit like being caught in a...
01/02/25
                
                
                    Alexandra Addington
                
                From classroom to spa: headteacher given green light to stay in the profession despite school-time retreat
A headteacher's professional future was called into question after she was spotted relaxing at a private spa when she was supposed to be...
30/01/25
                
                
                    Katie Gledhill
                
                Neonatal care leave and pay: all you need to know
From 6 April 2025 eligible employees will have a new statutory right to take neonatal care leave and pay. These changes, brought about by...
30/01/25
                
                
                    Joanne Moseley
                
                Personal liability for discrimination: two teachers' misguided attempts to deal with colleague's absence land them in legal hot water
Under the Equality Act 2010, employers are liable for anything done by a member of their staff in the course of their employment unless...
30/01/25
                
                
                    Bryan Bletso
                
                Rachel Reeves’ Speech: A Positive Outlook for Foreign Direct Investment
Rachel Reeves speech that outlined key initiatives and proposals for the UK economy could mark an important milestone in bolstering...
29/01/25
                
                
                    Hannah Moran
                
                Data Protection Day 2025: Looking Ahead and Things to Keep an Eye On
Over the course of 2024 there has been a lot that has happened in the data protection sphere. With the emergence of AI into the...
28/01/25
                
                
                    Joanne Moseley
                
                Can you sack an employee if they've lied on their CV (even if it's only a little bit)?
In November the chancellor, Rachel Reeves, was accused of “exaggerating” and “lying” about her economic experience. Reeves studied...
28/01/25
                
                
                    Nicola Gooch
                
                Go for Growth: The Chancellor, Planning Reform and a weekend of activity
People often ask how I find the time to write these posts. Well, due to a series of unfortunate events, this one was started huddled...
26/01/25