The government has pledged to provide more affordable homes and to clamp down on leasehold abuses on newbuild properties. The measures were announced in the Queen’s Speech at the start of the new parliament. The new First Home scheme will be designed to make homes available at a discount for local first-time buyers. Councils will
The government is to revive its no-fault divorce bill that was shelved in November because of the proroguing of the last parliament and the General Election. Now that the Conservative government has been returned, a new bill is to be introduced in the coming year. There was no mention of it in the Queen’s Speech,
Mixed-sex couples can now enter into civil partnerships if they wish as an alternative to marriage. The new right came into effect on December 31 last year under the Civil Partnerships, Marriages and Deaths (Registration etc) Act 2019. Completing the legislation was one of the last actions of the government before the December election. Civil
A mother has had to forfeit the residential care of her son after she tried to alienate him from his father. The case involved a boy who lived with his mother but had regular contact with his father and his paternal family. However, from March 2018, there had been no direct contact between father and
Businesses across different sectors are urging the new government to end late payment practices that are crippling many small companies. They say the existing Prompt Payment Code isn’t working and fear a surge in company insolvencies if no action is taken. David Frise, CEO of the Building Engineering Services Association (BESA), said repeated failures by
The restaurant chain Bella Italia has lost a dispute about terminating a commercial lease. The property in question was a new development of retail premises on a site owned by two groups of trustees. In November 2014, Bella signed the agreement for lease, with the trustees as the named freeholder and landlord. The other parties
A mental health nurse who was subjected to abuse by patients has won a claim of indirect race discrimination by his employer. However, his claim for harassment was rejected by the Employment Tribunal. Colleridge Bessong, from Africa, worked for Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust (2019) at a secure residential unit. In 2017 he was seriously
An employer has failed to get an injunction restraining six key employees from working for a competitor, pending a trial to decide whether they were bound by a non-compete covenant. The case involved recruitment company Affinity Workforce Solutions Ltd. In May 2019, it dismissed one of the employees for alleged gross misconduct. She challenged the
An employee who was duped into transferring nearly £200,000 to online scammers while her bosses were on annual leave will not have to pay back the money to her employers. Patricia Reilly worked as a credit controller for Peebles Media Group (PMG). She was left in charge while her managing director, Yvonne Bremner, and line
The Employment Tribunal has ruled that a business manager who suffered from hepatitis C was unfairly dismissed by her employer because of her disability. Carol Smith worked for cosmetic wholesaler Amalgamated Euro Products. Her condition caused her pain, insomnia, fatigue and depression. She rarely took time off until the period between March and July 2016,