An “aggressive” father has been granted sole parental responsibility for his son, even though the court had concerns about his parenting skills and his hostile attitude towards social workers. The court heard that the 12-year-old son had been cared for by his father until 2012 when he was left alone at home and a fire
Employers could face potentially crippling penalties if they fail to pay the National Minimum Wage (NMW). The maximum £20,000 penalty for underpayment can now be charged for each worker underpaid. Previously, £20,000 was the maximum that could be imposed regardless of the number of employees who had been underpaid. The change means employers could be
The ban on exclusivity clauses in zero-hours contracts has now come into force. It means that employees can no longer be tied to a company that may not have any work to offer them. The ban took effect on 26 May as part of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015. The measure was
The Right to Buy scheme is being extended to 1.3 million housing association tenants across England. The scheme was previously only available to council house tenants. The change was announced in the Queen’s Speech and will be part of a new Housing Bill that will enable housing association tenants to buy their homes at substantial
What is a civil partnership? In 2004, the Civil Partnership Act came into force allowing same-sex couples to obtain the same rights and responsibilities as married couples, both during their relationship and upon any subsequent separation. Many of these rights and responsibilities relate to property ownership, taxation exemptions and children issues as prior to this time,
This is a common question. Some people may feel that they don’t have very much money to leave to anyone, and others don’t seem to mind where their money goes when they pass away. However, making a will goes beyond simply setting out where your ‘estate’ (your money and other assets) will go when you
The rising number of second marriages and relationships involving older couples has led to an increasing number of disputes over wills in the last few years. Conflicts due to relationships started later in life have now become one of the main reasons for families taking legal action if they feel they’ve missed out on their
The need for cohabiting partners to draw up agreements stating how their property and assets should be shared in the event of a break-up was highlighted in a recent case before the Court of Appeal. It involved a couple who had been in a relationship for many years and had lived together since 2002. When
Cohabitants are couples who live together as if man and wife but outside the confines of a marriage, for example, as boyfriend and girlfriend. In England and Wales, many couples are choosing to live this way and it is a relationship arrangement that is continuing to increase in popularity. Contrary to popular opinion, cohabitants are
The new system of Shared Parental Leave (SPL) allowing mothers and fathers to share 52 weeks’ leave came into effect on 5 April 2015. Under the SPL scheme, mothers are still required to take two weeks’ compulsory leave immediately after the birth, but the other 50 weeks can be shared between both parents. The benefits