A judge’s decision to separate two teenage brothers from their mother and also from each other was based on her own personal opinion of the boys and has therefore been overturned. The residence of the brothers came into dispute ten years after the separation of their parents. They had always lived with their mother and
The Law Commission wants to reform the law relating to the right to light, in an effort to balance the legitimate yet often conflicting interests of both developers and property owners The Commission is concerned that under the current system, there is no time limit for bringing claims that a right to light has been
The government is launching an ‘older workers champion scheme’ to tackle age discrimination in the workplace. The move follows concerns that older workers have to cope with much higher levels of long-term unemployment than younger people. The scheme, which will begin trials in April, will offer older jobseekers a career review, online support and a
Two sisters have been appointed to manage the estate of their mother who is suffering from dementia. The appointments were made by the Court of Protection despite an objection from a brother of the two sisters. The case involved a woman who had not drawn up a lasting power of attorney stating who she wanted
New homes are to be offered at a minimum 20% discount to first-time buyers under the age of 40. The Starter Home initiative is a government scheme to help young people on to the housing ladder and encourage construction firms to build more homes. It’s hoped that up to 100,000 buyers will benefit. The initiative
The taxman could take some of the money you want to go to loved ones after you die if you fail to make a will and keep it up to date. Some may also go to an estranged husband or wife. That’s the warning from the Law Society, which has just conducted a survey revealing
Changes to stamp duty announced in the Autumn Statement by Chancellor George Osborne have helped stimulate the housing market, according to solicitors and estate agents. Mr Osborne said 98% of people in England and Wales will now pay less duty when buying a property. Only those buying homes worth more than £937,000 will be worse
The government has announced that a £2m fund is to be spent on initiatives aimed at reducing the gender pay gap. The funding will go towards training, events and monitoring programmes for women to help them move from low paid, low skilled work to jobs that are high paid and high skilled. The measures will
More than one million people are running the risk of leaving their partners with nothing when they die, because they haven’t made a will stating what should happen to their estate. As the law stands, if somebody dies intestate – without a will – then their assets will be inherited by their spouse or civil
House prices rose by 12.1% in the year to the end of September, according to the Office for National Statistics (ONS). Prices increased by 0.5% on a monthly basis between August and September this year. The statistics only include homes that were bought with a mortgage. The increases mean that prices have been rising faster