Taking agricultural land out of production to offset the impact of nitrate pollution from housing can generate income for its owner and benefit developers and local authorities. The problem Nitrogen and Phosphorus are essential nutrients for plants. Used as fertilisers they boost growth and increase crop yields. They are also a pollutant ...
The Court of Appeal has considered the question of whether it is fair and appropriate for a Court of Protection Judge to visit the person who lacks mental capacity and about whom the Judge is being asked to make a best interest’s decision. In the case of Re AH (2021) Mr Justice Hayden, who is a High Court Judge and the Vice President of the Court of Protection, visited AH in hospital after the hearing had concluded and before giving judgment ...
Since the UK left the European Union, new rules have come into force surrounding the travel of pets. This article outlines the current position on bringing cats, dogs and ferrets into England, Scotland and Wales. Prior to Brexit, UK pet owners could travel freely with their cats and dogs between EU countries, provided their pet was microchipped and also had a pet passport ...
A tech entrepreneur recently publicly condemned men who opt to take longer periods of paternity leave. It is crucial that this outdated narrative is dispelled to ensure greater equality in relation to maternity, paternity and other types of parental leave. A prominent US entrepreneur recently branded men that take six months paternity leave “losers” and claimed that the “correct masculine response” is for men to work harder to provide for their children ...
In a statement last week, the justice secretary, Dominic Raab, warned that parents who bring vexatious claims to the family courts will face financial penalties. The policy is part of plans currently being drawn up by the government to introduce new incentives and disincentives to “spare children the trauma of seeing their parents fight it out in court” ...
As we draw to the end of 2021, Lauren Bholé and Lizzie Lord reflect on some of the HR challenges faced by many companies over the past 12 months. 1. Employees wanting a change in career – the ‘great resignation’ A study by Microsoft found that 41% of the global workforce is considering leaving their employer this year ...
On 12 May 2021, Prime Minister Boris Johnson committed to holding a Public Inquiry into COVID-19 that will place "the state's actions under the microscope". Demonstrating that it is independent, objective and fair is fundamental to an Inquiry’s purpose. We take a look at the extent to which the State can effectively examine itself in a Public Inquiry when it has ultimate responsibility for determining the remit, and therefore inevitably the scope of any conclusions ...
Like many UK cities, Sheffield is going through a period of major transformation, offering modern new office space, repurposed buildings and making headway on its net zero ambitions. However, Sheffield is unique as the only city with a national park within its boundary – in fact, 61% of Sheffield’s entire area is green space ...
The High Court has dismissed 28 divorce petitions after finding that the particulars of behaviour were ‘absolutely identical’ to each other. Every marriage is different, but in the recent case of Celine-Shelby v Yorston, the courts were confronted with 28 divorce applications from 28 different people, all seemingly based on the same reasons ...
On 24 November 2021 Shoosmiths hosted a webinar exploring recent developments and forthcoming changes in environmental regulation – the COP26 climate change conference, the Environment Act 2021 and trends in sentencing for environmental offences. COP26 David Symons, director of sustainability at WSP UK outlined the three main messages from the COP26 conference: The 1 ...
Shoosmiths’ London office hosted its first hybrid seminar on 23 November, With Alastair Peet, Steve Barnett and Lisa Faragher from our VC team teaming up with Pietro Strada and Paddy MccGwire from technology focused corporate finance house Silverpeak to discuss current trends in tech market exits and financings. The seminar also included a panel discussion with David Cocks, co-founder of CloudTrade and Simon King, Partner at Octopus Ventures ...
Experts from Shoosmiths and BDO recently led a panel discussion regarding the upcoming introduction of Solent’s Freeport. Shoosmiths’ Kirsten Hewson (head of real estate), Stephen Porter (head of corporate) and Solent office head Paula Swain (also a board member of the Solent Freeport Consortium & Solent LEP) discussed the upcoming development. Also on the panel were Cllr ...
New rules in relation to statutory transfers rules came into force on 30 November 2021 to protect members’ pension savings from being lost as the result of a transfer to a scam arrangement. Trustees and managers (trustees) must take additional steps before a statutory transfer can be paid. Regulatory guidance The new requirements (and everything in this article) only apply to statutory transfers ...
In the final instalment in our series of articles looking at whistleblowing claims, we look at types of whistleblowing claims and their potential remedy at an employment tribunal. Previously we looked at what amounts to a protected disclosure, how clear and effective policies in place helps employers to handle protected disclosures and the handling of complaints confidentially and/or anonymously ...
Our Shoospeak HR podcast welcomes special guest Jonathan Naylor (Partner in the Shoosmiths' employment team) to discuss trade union communication strategies ...
Across the UK, local people are creating businesses that could revitalise town centres – repair and sharing spaces, community bakeries, climate action hubs, genuinely affordable housing – services that develop critical social, economic and climate resilient infrastructure. But a major barrier to their success is the lack of access to affordable, secure, long-term land and property ...
The national minimum wage is the prescribed minimum hourly rate of pay that employers are required to pay to most workers. Ensuring the minimum wage is paid correctly can be tricky and errors can lead to damaging and costly consequences for employers. Calculating the correct minimum wage is not just about adding up the pennies ...
The Charities Bill has been a long time coming. More than ten years ago the Law Commission set out to undertake a targeted review of areas of charity law identified as causing uncertainty and carrying a disproportionate regulatory or administrative burden ...
No fault divorce is due to come into effect in England and Wales on 6 April 2022. From this date couples will be able to get divorced without one person needing to lay blame on the other. This change will also apply to civil partnership dissolution ...
All charities face some risks. The risks your charity might face will depend on factors such as its size, funding and activities. Recently we considered managing those risk at our inaugural charity trustees roundtables ...
Initially published by Thomson Reuters [24 November 2021], Shoosmiths partner Sam Tyfield below explores the Financial Conduct Authority’s policy and supervisory priorities in the areas of market abuse monitoring, data collection and the classification of a ‘venue’ - for the purposes of the FCA Handbook. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) released Market Watch 68 on November 16, 2021 ...
Led by legal director of immigration, Rachel Harvey and employment associate, Amy Leech, this webinar provided guidance on options available for frontier workers following the end of free movement between the EU and the UK. Free movement of individuals between EU countries and the UK ended on 31 December 2020, following the UK’s withdrawal from the European Union ...
Birmingham is often described as the UK’s ‘second city’ and is the social, cultural and commercial centre of the Midlands ...
Milton Keynes, the New Town famous for its grid system, roundabouts and concrete cows is every bit the planner’s dream. Fifty-five years after its foundation and bidding for city status in the Queen’s platinum jubilee year, Milton Keynes has come of age ...
We are very excited to be supporting the UN Global Compact Network UK’s ‘Transitioning to a Net Zero’ webinar series ...
