Help to Buy ISAs offering first time buyers a 25% bonus on their savings have proved to be one the most talked about elements from George Osborne’s Budget statement. Some commentators fear they may push up house prices, but they’re likely to prove hugely popular with young people who have found it difficult to raise
A father has been told he must accept reduced contact with his daughter after losing his appeal against a court ruling. The case involved a couple who had separated when their daughter was 18 months old. The girl lived with her mother but the father applied for a shared residence order. Before the hearing could
Social housing tenants could be offered up to £30,000 to enable them to leave their rented accommodation and buy their own home. The move is an extension to the Right to Buy scheme, which has been running for several years and has enabled nearly 2 million tenants to buy their home at discounted prices. Although
The Law Commission is looking at ways to improve the enforcement of Family Financial Orders, which are used to help support children and former spouses following divorce. The commission says these orders are sometimes obtained at “significant financial and emotional cost” to everyone involved. The stress can be compounded if the orders cannot then be
A Court of Appeal ruling that a 10% uplift should be applied to general damages awards in civil claims for pain and suffering does not apply to employment tribunals. That was the decision of the Employment Appeal Tribunal (EAT) in a recent discrimination case. The hearing involved a woman who claimed that her employer had
The government plans to introduce a new online tool designed to increase pay transparency and lead to wage increases for the less well off. Ministers say the National Minimum Wage Accelerator will give businesses and employees “unprecedented” clarity around pay levels by making it easier to find out how much people are paid in different
The Marriage Foundation has launched a manifesto calling on political parties to consider the need to reform divorce law. The Foundation, which is led by one of the country’s senior family judges, Sir Paul Coleridge, believes current law is outdated and out of step with modern life. The call for change coincides with two recent
On 11th March 2015, the Supreme Court handed down their decision in the case of Vince v. Wyatt [2015] UKSC 14 and granted a wife permission to make an application for financial relief against her ex-husband even though they had divorced over 20 years ago. Facts of the case: The parties married in 1981 and
A franchise company has been granted an injunction to stop two of its former franchisees damaging its business by making false claims to customers. The case involved a company that manufactured and sold postal franking machines, which were distributed in the UK through franchisees. In July 2014, its contracts with two franchisees were terminated following
A court has ruled that investors in a failed restaurant venture were entitled to get their money back because their names had not been placed on the lease as agreed. The case involved a businessman who identified an opportunity to lease and run a restaurant business. He secured an investment of £255,000 from five individual