The government is introducing a series of changes to increase the flexibility and capacity of the employment tribunal system during the Covid-19 pandemic. The new measures will also allow tribunals to deal with increasing caseloads, following the abolition of employment tribunal fees in July 2017. It means there will be more remote hearings so tribunals
The Administrative Court has made a declaration clarifying that the legal definition of “”employment”” includes people who provide their services on a self-employed basis as an independent contractor. The declaration was made after the Simply Learning Tutor Agency Ltd and eight other similar agencies applied for a declaration that the Employment Agencies Act 1973 does
An employee who was suspended from her work after being arrested for a serious sexual offence has lost her claim for breach of contract. The employee, who worked for HMRC, was arrested in August 2018. In accordance with her employment contract, she disclosed the arrest and the sexual offence to her line manager, who further
The High Court has lifted an interim injunction restraining an employee from working at another company. The case involved Peltrade Ltd, a distributor of energy-producing wood pellets. In March 2018 it had employed Mr Dean Scanlan to trade in premium and industrial quality pellets, but he had worked primarily in the premium pellet sector. His
The Court of Appeal has ruled that a decision to remove three children from the care of their grandparents was mistaken and could cause them emotional harm. The children, aged six, four and three, had lived with their grandparents and maternal aunt since January 2019 after a somewhat chaotic lifestyle in their parents’ care. In
The government has issued guidance on who must pay the higher rates of Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) when buying a residential property in England. The basic position is that you will be liable for the higher SDLT rates when you buy a residential property (or a part of one) for £40,000 or more, if
A mother has won her appeal against a court order that she should return her two children to Germany to live with their father. The decision means the children can continue to live with her in England. The children and parents had all lived in Germany since the children were born. The parents separated in
The High Court has upheld a vulnerable woman’s will and rejected a claim by her daughter that she had been subjected to undue influence. The case involved two sisters, Teresa Ann Coles and Heather Christine Reynolds. In 2002, their mother made a will leaving her estate to be divided equally between them. However, the relationship
The Supreme Court has ruled that a woman’s sons will have to pay inheritance tax on her pension fund because she had not drawn upon it during her lifetime. The court heard evidence that the deceased woman and her former husband had been directors of a company. Shortly before her death, she transferred funds from
The government has extended its ban on landlords evicting businesses until the end of the year. The move is in response to the continuing COVID-19 crisis. Ministers say that where companies can pay their rent, they should do so, as this support is aimed at those businesses struggling the most during the pandemic. It’s hoped