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The Corporate Insolvency and Governance Act 2020 came into force on 25 th June 2020 , with the aim of “Relieving the burden on businesses during the Coronavirus outbreak.” The Act: Provides companies with temporary easements on Companies...
Are you keeping up with the ever-changing CJRS? If not, here’s a handy checklist of relevant dates. You can download our infographic listing the dates here . 1 July 2020: This was the start date of the new Flexible Furlough scheme...
As you will be aware, this month the Government eased the lockdown measures in England. As from 15 June 2020, non-essential retail premises were permitted to open, as were drive-in cinemas, retail art galleries, betting shops, auction houses,...
Why appoint a new manager? Leaseholders are very often unhappy with the management of their block. Disputes over reasonableness of service charge is one of the main reasons for looking for a change, as they see their service charges increasing without...
Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, many businesses remain unable to operate at all. Others are starting to operate, albeit on a reduced basis. From 1 July 2020, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS) has been modified so that employers can start to...
One of the things we are often asked is ‘ Why should I use a lawyer to handle my personal injury claim? ’. It’s a fair question and it is indeed possible to handle a claim yourself, but there are a number of benefits to taking the...
Extensions to Existing Reliefs Section 82 of the Coronavirus Act 2020 provides that a right of re-entry or forfeiture under a relevant business tenancy for non-payment of rent may not be enforced, by action or otherwise during the relevant period. ...
Can we still pursue debts in the COVID-19 pandemic? Yes! Whilst we are asking our clients to take a ‘common-sense approach’ with their debtors at this time, we appreciate that cashflow is even more important now and in most situations, debt...
The Electrical Safety Standards in Private Rented Sector (England) Regulations 2020 From 1 July 2020, private landlords will be required to ensure that the electrical safety standards are met during any period that the residential property is...
Most of us live happily in our houses for years and we assume we own our home and the land on which it sits. In almost all cases this is correct, and the vast majority of property transactions go smoothly. However, there are cases when things don’t go...
The Government has announced they are extending the stay on eviction proceedings for social or private rental accommodation by a further two months (to 23 August 2020), bringing the moratorium on evictions to a total of five months. The Government has...
A review of new legislation by Catherine Rickett and Alex Forster . On Wednesday 20 May the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy introduced the new Corporate Insolvency and Governance Bill 2020, the measures are intended to...
In this Q&A (published 05 June 2020) we look at the new self-isolation rules for seasonal workers travelling to farms in England. For farms with seasonal workers due to arrive from abroad on or after 8 June 2020, there is an extremely useful...
Multiple Dwellings Relief (MDR) is an important relief for Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT), where a purchaser acquires more than one dwelling as part of a transaction, or where there is a single dwelling purchase, but it is linked to at least one other...
On Friday 29 May 2020, the Chancellor released details of how the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will change in the coming months to try to get people back to work as lockdown restrictions are starting to be lifted. Everyone knew that the proposal...
The Government has announced the use of electric scooters could be trialled on our streets as early as June 2020. This was something that was always in the offing, but the fact this was announced as part of a Coronavirus update, and trials are taking placer...
At 9am on 28 May 2020, the Government launched the NHS Test and Trace Service in England: those who have been in close contact with someone who tests positive for Covid-19 “must” isolate for 14 days, even if they have no symptoms, to avoid...
It was certainly a welcomed step taken by Government to reopen the housing market on 13 May 2020. The Housing Secretary Robert Jenrick set out guidance for those wishing to move home safely in line with social distancing advice. It was reported that 450,000...
In my previous blog Highways Claims: The essentials , I discussed the process of making a personal injury claim against a local authority as a result of an accident caused by a defect on the highway. Since then, a recent press release from the RAC...
Whilst the requirement for execution of wills remains archaic and unchanged, the pandemic has led to various modernisations of the process surrounding the application for Grants of Probate (along with Grants of Letters of Administration and Grants of Letters...
With Mental Health Awareness Week falling in the midst of the ongoing Coronavirus Pandemic, it is appropriate consideration is given to the mental well-being of employees working through the pandemic, and the responsibilities of employers. If an...
It is anticipated that the dire economic consequences of the current lockdown will require there to be a partial easing of the lockdown restrictions in the coming days and weeks, allowing some additional businesses to re-open in a phased manner, and allowing...
In the early days after the launch of the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, which introduced the concept of furloughing for employees, the self-employed were demanding: “What about us, we need help too!” The self-employed/contractors have been...
In these strange and unprecedented circumstances Ministers have been urged to use their emergency powers to relax the laws governing the execution of wills during the coronavirus pandemic. Some campaigners argue those suffering from coronavirus should...
In this article we look at best practice for farmer and grower employers taking on new workers for picking and packing fruit and field crops. With scores of workers due to arrive on farms over the next few weeks, the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic...
The Charity Commission has published guidance for trustees, especially those acting for smaller charities, who may need help facing difficult situations or decisions. We have summarised the Charity Commission’s key considerations and some...
The Government has issued guidance to confirm that workers who have been furloughed under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme but who are eligible for and wish to take paid parental or adoption leave on or after 25 April 2020 will not be penalised by...
In this article we give some pointers to producers whose scheduled deliveries have been cancelled or curtailed by their customers due to the coronavirus crisis. For the most part, producers’ relationships with their suppliers and customers are long...
Within the last 24 hours the Government has announced further measures to assist commercial tenants during the coronavirus pandemic. The Government has already placed a moratorium on a landlord’s ability to forfeit a commercial lease for...
In some types of contracts/agreements it is common to see a Material Adverse Change or MAC clause to deal with one party’s significant and damaging changes in commercial circumstances. This is particularly the case in financing documentation...
The Charity Commission has today warned charities that fraudsters are exploiting the spread of coronavirus in order to carry out fraud and cybercrime, with Police reporting an increase in coronavirus related scams. There are a number of ways in which...
The Government has provided two further areas of clarification to Covid-19 related interaction with Statutory Sick Pay. Firstly , HMRC has updated its statutory payments manual to provide that employees do not qualify for Statutory Sick Pay if: they...
Over the weekend the Government has published the latest in a series of updated guidance on the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme. This answers outstanding queries relating to the interaction between Holiday Pay and Furlough Leave. In a...
Ultimately any decision to delay the introduction of the post-Brexit agricultural transition period is a political one. In this blog we explore the legislative processes – what would need to happen before the start date of the new regime can be...
The recent outbreak of Covid-19 and the restrictions which have been put in place by the Government mean that a large number of us are spending more time on social media platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, and using electronic forms of...
The Chancellor has this afternoon announced that the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme will be extended from its initial 3 month period from 1 March 2020 – 31 May 2020 by a further 1 month, i.e. to the end of June 2020. The announcement will come as a...
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a wave of disputes as to which party bears the risks of non-performance. There are some key principles which commercial parties should consider in order to assess the likely outcome of any dispute before...
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a wave of disputes as to which party bears the risks of non-performance. There are some key principles which commercial parties should consider in order to assess the likely outcome of any dispute before...
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a wave of disputes as to which party bears the risks of non-performance. There are some key principles which commercial parties should consider in order to assess the likely outcome of any dispute before...
The Covid-19 pandemic is likely to lead to a wave of disputes as to which party bears the risks of non-performance. There are some key principles which commercial parties should consider in order to assess the likely outcome of any dispute before...
The effects of Covid-19 and the lockdown across the world is certainly not something that any of us could have ever envisaged or expected to happen during our lifetime. The effects are devastating and widespread, impacting the whole world beyond...
The Q&A below is about Food Business Operator addresses on pre-packed foods exported into the EU. It is aimed at FBOs in Great Britain and covers the position if, at the end of the transition period: (a) the UK is no longer part of the single market...
The newly enacted Coronavirus Act 2020 is welcomed by many tenants. It has suspended a landlord’s ability to re-enter premises and take possession of it without court action (known in legal terms as “forfeiture”) where a business tenant...
With the Government guidance on social distancing still very much in play, electronic signatures (e-signatures) are being considered more and more by practitioners and clients alike in order to avoid, where possible, meeting or attending on others in person...
In short, the answer is an emphatic yes. Not only are the courts still open, but the coronavirus situation is accelerating the pace at which the online court website is being designed and made available. A new service has been launched this week...
The news last week highlights the horrific situation facing many growers. The dramatic fall in sales arising from the lockdown coupled with the perishability and seasonality of plants means the sector faces a nightmare scenario. Within the news there are...
The main provisions of the Good Work Plan come into effect today . Firstly, a reminder of what had already been implemented previously: Two changes took effect on 6 April 2019:- All employees and workers became entitled to an itemised payslip setting...
The Matrimonial and Family Proceedings Act 1984, Part III, enables people to apply to courts in England and Wales where there has been an overseas divorce and no, or inadequate, financial provision has been made. It is necessary to apply for permission, or...
This is one of a series of blog posts specifically catered to address some of the questions the planning team has been receiving relating to issues that have an impact during the current Covid-19 crisis. Are you at risk of not being able to implement...
In ordinary times, the proportion of workers in the UK who work entirely or mainly from home is relatively low. We find ourselves in something of an extraordinary time, when the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic has resulted in the majority of non- key...
