From gyms, pools, gardens and co-working spaces to group litter picking, charity fund raising and book clubs, the build to rent (BTR) sector is founded on the provision of social value and community. The over-arching purpose of BTR is to create thriving communities of tenants whose willingness to utilise space and engage with neighbours goes beyond the mere occupation of a building ...
The Mayhew Review - Future-Proofing Retirement Living, issued in November 2022, has the premise that the UK is failing to adapt to the impacts of an ageing population. Mayhew bills this as both a housing issue (in the wider Living sector sense) and a care issue ...
Jeremy Hunt’s speech on 9th December heralds the (delayed) arrival of the anticipated reform of consumer credit in the UK…and much more. But will the fanfare live up to the industry’s expectations? The financial services sector have faced unprecedented challenges over the last few years, particularly those involved in the provision of consumer credit ...
The EU’s Digital Markets Act (DMA) [1] entered into force on 1 November 2022. A business that considers the platform it uses will likely be designated as a ‘gatekeeper’ and that the platform’s rules/behaviour are unfair can take certain steps now [2]. Q1 2023 to Q2 2023 - Engage with the platform to change its rules/behaviour ...
The UK’s purpose-built student accommodation (PBSA) sector remains resilient despite months of economic and political uncertainty. “The fundamentals of the operational market in PBSA are very strong. I don’t think anyone is sat there saying that we don’t have great universities, we’ve got great occupancy and we’ve got growing demand,” outlined Alex Pease, executive director at Watkin Jones Group, at a recent Shoosmiths’ roundtable ...
On the 11th day of Christmas, HR heard management say…“if they all work at Christmas, how much must we pay”? A weary HR team replied - whatever the contract says! Once again employers should initially turn to the contract of employment for the answer, which will vary from employer to employer and could include any of the following: You will receive normal salary for any time worked on a public holiday but will be rewarded with an equivalent day off in lieu to be taken at a
As we take stock on 2022, and look forward to 2023, let’s briefly reflect on some of the topics that are current with our Living sector teams and clients ...
On the twelfth day of Christmas, HR asked with heavy hearts “should we delay dismissing an employee until the New Year starts?" After much deliberation, they decided … no Dealing with redundancies or other dismissals is challenging at any time of the year, never mind in the run up to Christmas when everyone is already feeling the pinch of their purse strings whilst trying to stay afloat with festive joy ...
New biodiversity net gain (BNG) requirements are set to be enforced in November 2023, giving developers and the wider real estate industry less than 12 months to prepare. The legislation will require all new developments in England, bar a few exceptions, to deliver at least 10 per cent BNG – impacting commercial and residential developers. The requirements form part of the Environment Act 2021, which received Royal Assent in November 2021 ...
With office attendance down and face to face events less frequent, the ability to meet and network with industry peers has been somewhat stymied in recent years. This is particularly true for the in-house lawyer community who, having worked through a period of sustained legislative, societal, economic and regulatory change, have arguably been one of the groups to have suffered the most from the inability hear how other IHLs across the industry have managed these challenges ...
The Norwegian Bar Association’s law committees are appointed by the association’s executive board. The committees consist of members with particular expertise within the selected field. The committees follow legislation developments closely and advise within their special field of expertise. With a focus on the rule of law and quality in legislation the Bar Association’s law committees deliver around 80 statements every year ...
Over the past few weeks, the European Union has issued somewhat of a landmark act which is aimed at addressing the topical issue surrounding the lack of women in top-level corporate positions ...
The season of goodwill is upon us, with retailers and the press announcing Christmas charity partnerships to raise funds for good causes, but the cost-of-living crisis will still be with us in 2023. Charities are increasingly feeling a greater level of pressure to be the first line of defence as gaps in public services open up and they face a “triple threat” of increasing running costs (in particular, energy bills), rising service demand, and falling incomes ...
Trine Vabog is affiliated with the TMT team in Oslo. Trine is among Norway’s leading IT lawyers and works with complex ICT procurements and ICT contracts from both the customer as well as the provider side. She has a deep understanding and expertise within the ICT area, considerable experience as a project manager and negotiation manager for ICT acquisitions and advises parties within both public and private sectors ...
The Foreign Influence Registration Scheme (FIRS) will compel non-UK businesses and their UK agents or representatives to register if they are engaged in ‘political influencing activity’. Failure to register would be a criminal offence potentially leading to a fine or imprisonment. The FIRS is included in draft legislation – the National Security Bill - which, if adopted, is foreseen to come into effect in Q1 2023 ...
The Council of the EU has now adopted its common position on the bloc's draft AI Act, as the legislation approaches final form. The updated position signals a number of important refinements to key principles in the previous text. The EU is hoping the legislation, once agreed and ratified with the European Parliament, will provide organisations within or trading into the EU with a uniform, risk-based framework, creating a single market for AI applications ...
The task of upgrading and developing the UK’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure to cope with current and future demand is no mean feat. The UK Government has committed to ending the sale of new petrol and diesel cars by 2030 ...
Where is my order? I’m sure most of us have asked this question many times and probably more so recently as the recent postal strikes have left customers waiting for delayed Christmas gifts to arrive. The postal strikes have undoubtedly had a huge impact on businesses in the lead up to Christmas, especially given the dramatic increase in online sales, costing businesses money and time in navigating through customer queries, complaints and providing solutions ...
Businesses will be given a further extension until 31 December 2024 to start using the UK Conformity Assessed (UKCA) marking for goods placed on the GB market. The labelling easement has also been extended until 31 December 2027. Despite the UK Government previously stating that 1 January 2023 would be ‘the final deadline’, it has further extended the date by which businesses must use the UKCA marking ...
On 23 September the Government announced its ‘Growth Plan 2022’ (Growth Plan). It was intended, the Government said, to tackle rising energy costs, bring down inflation and help businesses and households alike. Instead, it caused a sudden and significant rise in interest rates which caused havoc for defined benefit (DB) pension schemes with liability driven investment (LDI) strategies ...
With just days left till Christmas, the government has revealed more details on its proposed approach to planning reform with a draft National Planning Policy Framework released for consultation. Views are also being sought on a proposed approach to preparing National Development Management Policies, levelling up policy, and how national planning policy is currently accessed by users, but not as yet on the much needed funding for these changes ...
On the 20th of December 2022, various amendments (and clarifications) to the Employment and Industrial Relations Act (Chapter 452) came into force, mainly relating to the probationary period applicable to fixed term contracts and the duration of fixed term contracts. By means of the amendments: In the case of a renewal of a fixed term contract for the same functions and tasks as the previous fixed term contract, there shall be no new probationary period ...
During 2022, the government has, among other things, made these legal amendments: Removal of the general right to employ someone temporarily up to one year Trade unions that have members in a company that use hired workers from a temp agency can start legal proceedings against the employer about the legality of hiring. Revised home office regulations You can read more about these changes here. The Supreme Court has also contributed to the further development of employment law ...
The Intellectual Property and Related Rights (Amendment) Law of 2022, published in the Official Gazette of the Republic of Cyprus on 7 October 2022, aims to harmonise the Cyprus copyright regime with various acts at the European Union (‘EU’) level and the WIPO Performances and Phonograms Treaty. This Law amends and redefines already existing concepts and establishes new definitions and obligations ...
The Supreme Court has decided several cases concerning the Civil Procedure Act this autumn. We would like to start by mentioning HR-2022-1503-U, which concerned the difference between an ordinary witness and an expert witness. Two decisions concerning recusal are also noteworthy: HR-2022-1959-A and HR-2022-1799-U. The question in the first case was whether a judge had to recuse himself because his textbook expressed an opinion about the legal issue in the case ...
